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OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


THROUGH  ABYSSINIA: 
AN  ENVO  VS  RIDE  TO  THE  KING  OF  ZION 


THE    ENVOY   AS   AN   ABYSSINIAN   CHIEF  OF   THE   ORUEK 
OF   SOLOMON. 


THROUGH  ABYSSINIA 

J 

AN  ENVOY'S  RIDE    TO    THE 

KING    OF  ZION 


BY 

F.    HARRISON    SMITH,     R.N. 


A.    C.    ARMSTRONG    &    SON 

MDCCCXC 


DT 

377 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.    INTRODUCTORY II 

II.    PREPARATIONS   FOR  THE  EXPEDITION.      JOURNEY 

FROM   LONDON   TO   CAIRO  .  .  .  .  21 

III.  SUEZ,   SUAKIN,   AND   MASSOWAH        .  .  .  .      $1 

IV.  JOURNEY   IN  ABYSSINIA 89 

V.   SOJOURN   AT  THE   KING'S   COURT      .  .  .  -183 

VI.    RETURN   TO   THE   COAST 2I9 

VII.   CONCLUSION 253 

APPENDICES 265 


1927340 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

THE     ENVOY     AS     AN     ABYSSINIAN      CHIEF      OF     THE 

ORDER    OF    SOLOMON        ....  Frontispiece 
THE   QUEEN'S   S\VORD   OF   HONOUR        .  .  .  -I? 

LETTER   FR0:M   KING  JOHN 7 1 

A   GLIMPSE   FROM    MAHENZIE   PASS         .  .  .  .      I05 

COPPER  ECCLESIASTICAL  CROSS         .  .  .  .  1 53 

PORTRAIT   OF   THE   VIRGIN    .  .  .  .  .      I7I 

KING   JOHN'S   SEAL J  78 

PICTURE  OF  THE    CRUCIFIXION I99 

PORTRAIT   OF    KING   JOHN 207 

NEW   PALACE   AT   MAKELLEH 229 

MAP   OF   ABYSSINIA 269 


THROUGH    ABYSSINIA. 

AN  ENVOYS  RIDE  TO  THE  KING  OF  ZION 


INTRODUCTORY. 

"  Negoosa  Negust,"  or,  "  A  Visit  to  the 
Kinor  of  Zion."  was  the  title  which  I  ori- 
ginally determined  on  for  this  book  ;  but, 
for  cogent  reasons  urged  by  the  publisher, 
I  decided  to  discard  so  incomprehensible  a 
name  as  "  Negoosa  Negust,"  and  to  substitute 
that  which  at  present  occupies  my  title-page. 
Now,  I  should  like  to  explain  that  "  Negoosa 
Negfust"  was  not  the  name  of  a  new  sort 
of  bitters.  Nor  did  I  desire  to  deceive  a 
possible  reader  into  the  supposition  that 
"A  Visit  to  the  King  of  Zion"  was  by 
the  author  of  "  Letters  from  Hell,"  and  in- 
tended   as    an    antidote   to    that  sulphurous 


1 2  THROUGH  AB  YSSINIA. 

draft  from  the  infernal  regions.  The  follow- 
ing narrative  is  nothing  more  than  an  account 
of  a  journey  into  Abyssinia  which  the  writer 
made  in  1886,  and  any  air  of  the  super- 
natural, which  may  still  surround  the  title 
which  heads  this  story,  will  be  swept  away 
by  the  following  explanation. 

The  late  king  of  Abyssinia  was  accustomed 
to  be  formally  styled  as  "  Johannis,  made  by 
the  Almighty,  King  of  Zion,  King  of  Kings 
of  Ethiopia  and  its  Dependencies."  More- 
over, his  subjects  claimed  for  their  country 
that  it  is,  or  was,  Zion  of  the  Scriptures.  In 
my  forgetfulness  of  such  Scripture  history 
and  geography  as  I  once  knew,  I  prefer  to 
leave  the  discussion  of  this  claim  to  a  Church 
Congress,  or  the  Royal  Geographical  Society. 
Like  Acts  of  Parliament,  Johannis,  who  is 
also  more  familiarly  known  in  England  as 
John,  had  a  short  title,  i.e.,  Negoosa  Negust, 
which,  being  translated,  signifies  King  of 
Kings,  and  this  title  was  considered  to  suffi- 
ciently keep  in  memory  the  fact  that  John, 
having  crushed  all  other  aspirants  to  the 
throne,  had  unified  under  his  single  sceptre 


ABYSSINIA.  13 

the  numerous  petty  kingdoms  into  which 
Abyssinia  was  formerl}'-  divided. 

In  order  to  impart  as  much  interest  as 
possible  to  any  poHtical  matter  which  I  may 
introduce,  and  to  render  mv  readers  some- 
what  famiHar  with  the  circumstances  sur- 
rounding me  in  my  travel,  I  shall  attempt 
to  sketch  briefly  the  history  of  events  leading 
up  to  the  mission  which  forms  the  subject  of 
my  story. 

Abyssinia  may  be  roughly  described  as  a 
high  table-land  adjacent  to  the  western  shore 
of  the  Red  Sea.  Whatever  may  have  been 
its  claim  in  the  sixteenth  century  to  a  sea- 
port, it  is  certain  that  since  that  period  its 
confines  have  been  pushed  back,  bit  by  bit, 
by  the  aggressions  of  successive  Turkish 
and  Egyptian  forces,  until  its  boundaries 
could  not  be  said  to  extend  beyond  the  edge 
of  the  plateau.  Hence  the  country  suffers 
for  want  of  an  outlet,  and  as  a  direct  conse- 
quence its  trade  has  been  reduced  to  a  very 
low  ebb  of  prosperity.  In  1874  Egypt  oc- 
cupied the  district  in  the  north  of  Abyssinia 
called  Bogos,   and  committed  other  aggres- 


14  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA. 

slons,  and  this  brought  Egypt  and  Abyssinia 
into  conflict.  In  the  following  year  the 
Abyssinians  killed  rather  more  than  three 
thousand  Egyptians  in  various  battles. 
Again,  a  year  later,  the  Egyptians  lost 
about  the  same  number  out  of  six  thousand 
in  the  advanced  guard  of  an  avenging  expe- 
dition. In  1877,  Abyssinia  inflicted  further 
defeats  on  the  Egyptians,  who,  by  the  terms 
of  a  truce  which  they  had  entered  into, 
should  have  remained  at  Massowah.  Two 
years  later  came  General  Gordon's  mission, 
and  from  then  till  the  end  of  1883  relations 
between  Egypt  and  Abyssinia  remained  in  a 
strained  condition,  embittered  now  and  again 
by  occasional  raids  from  one  side  or  the 
other. 

Such  was  the  position  of  affairs  when 
England  became  involved  in  a  war  in  the 
Eastern  Soudan,  on  behalf  of  Egypt,  against 
the  revolted  Soudanese.  The  futility  of 
England's  efforts  to  subjugate  the  Soudanese, 
or  to  effect  the  relief  of  various  Egyptian 
garrisons  interned  in  the  Soudan,  is  a  matter 
of  history  so  recent  as  to   require  no  telling. 


THE  HEIVETT  TREATY.  15 

But  it  was  arranged  that  a  British  Mission 
under  Admiral  Sir  William  Hewett  should 
endeavour  to  put  an  end  to  the  old  enmity 
between  Abyssinia  and  Egypt,  and  to  so  far 
propitiate  King  John  as  to  induce  him  to 
assist  the  Egyptian  troops  to  the  coast. 

As  a  result  of  this  mission  the  garrisons 
of  certain  places  were  relieved  and  assisted 
through  Abyssinia  to  Massowah.  The  treaty 
which  contained  the  arrangements,  guaran- 
teed to  King  Johannis  the  restoration  of  the 
Bogos  territory  and  the  benefit  of  a  free 
trade  through  Massowah  under  British 
protection.  This  was  a  preferable  alterna- 
tive to  the  original  wish  of  the  king  to 
possess  the  port  of  Massowah,  for,  as  was 
explained  to  him,  he  would  be  unable  to 
hold  it  against  any  enemy  possessing  a  single 
gunboat. 

For  a  very  short  time  after  the  conclusion 
of  the  treaty,  matters  looked  as  if  they  had 
settled  down  quietly,  until,  in  1885,  Italy 
occupied  Massowah,  promising,  however, 
to  undertake  England's  obligations  under 
the    Hewett    treaty.       Abyssinia    did     not 


i6  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

regard  Italian  protection  as  at  all  the  same 
thing  as  British  protection,  and  dissensions 
arose  between  Italy  and  Abyssinia.  Simul- 
taneously with  the  early  stages  of  these  dis- 
sensions King  John  completed  the  release 
of  the  Egyptian  garrisons,  and  so  great  was 
the  satisfaction  of  the  British  Government 
with  the  manner  in  which  he  had  carried  out 
his  side  of  the  treaty  that  it  was  decided  to 
V  present  him,  his  son,  and  his  chief  general, 
with  swords  of  honour  as  presents  from  Her 
Majesty  the  Queen. 

On  the  17th  of  December,  1885,  therefore, 
I  had  the  honour  of  receiving  a  letter  from 
the  Marquis  of  Salisbury,  informing  me  that 
I  had  been  selected  to  proceed  to  Abyssinia 
as  the  bearer  of  a  letter  from  the  Queen  to 
King  John,  and  of  the  sword  of  honour.  I 
was  directed  to  proceed  to  Cairo  to  make  the 
necessary  preparations  for  my  journey,  and 
my  instructions  stated  that  it  was  desired 
that  I  should,  if  possible,  reach  Massowah 
in  time  to  accompany  an  Italian  mission 
destined  to  start  from  thence  to  Abyssinia 
towards  the  end  of  January,  1886  ;  but  that 


?x: 


OFFICIAL  INSTRUCTIONS.  19 

if  this  should  not  be  practicable,  I  should 
arrange  to  take  the  sword  and  letter  to  the 
king  by  myself.  In  a  further  letter  I  was 
directed,  while  not  taking  any  active  part  in 
the  negotiations  between  the  Italian  mission 
and  King  John,  to  facilitate  an  understanding, 
and  to  do  what  was  in  my  power  to  explain 
any  matters  in  which  the  king  might  be 
under  the  impression  that  he  had  cause  of 
complaint.  In  the  Queen's  letter  it  was 
stated  that  the  sword  of  honour  was  not,  at 
the  moment  of  writing,  completed,  but  that 
as  soon  as  it  should  be  so,  it  would  be  sent. 
Some  few  days  later,  Lord  Salisbury  wrote 
that  the  sword  was  completed,  and,  with 
other  presents,  was  sent  in  my  charge,  because 
I  was  already  known  to  the  king  from  having 
accompanied  Admiral  Hewett  when  he  visited 
Abyssinia  in  the  previous  year.  An  incident 
arose  out  of  these  two  letters  which,  as  it 
gave  me  no  little  trouble,  and  placed  me  in 
a  position  of  some  danger,  I  will  relate  in  its 
proper  place. 


II. 

PREPARA  TIONS  FOR  THE  EXPEDITION. 
JOURNEY  FROM  LONDON  TO  CAIRO. 


II. 


PREPARATIONS  FOR   THE   EXPEDITION.      JOURNEY 
FROM    LONDON    TO    CAIRO. 

Before  one  has  been  many  weeks  in  any  one 
of  Her  Majesty's  services,  one  becomes  aware 
of  the  existence  of  some  drag  or  skid,  which 
appears  to  retard  the  circulation  of  the 
wheels  of  official  machinery.  "Why  don't 
we  build  more  ships  ?  "  laments  one.  **  Be- 
cause the  Treasury  won't  allow  the  money," 
is  the  reply.  This  impediment,  then,  to  the 
free  and  unrestricted  use  of  the  sinews  of 
war  is  the  Treasury,  the  custodian  of  the 
public  purse.  No  doubt  that  is  exactly  as  it 
should  be,  otherwise  Lord  High  Admiral 
Hobbyhorse  would  be  squandering  thousands 
on  building  ships  to  his  own  design,  while 
the  overburdened  taxpayer  would  groan  in- 
wardly, and  would  outwardly  grow  thin  and 
seedy  at  the  knees  and  elbows.  It  was 
with    some    little    misgivings,    then,    that     I 


24  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA . 

was  told  at  the  Foreign  Office  that  the 
Treasury  sanction  had  not  yet  been  received 
to  the  estimate  for  the  expenses  of  my 
mission,  and  as  one  day  after  another  slipped 
by,  as  days  will  when  one  doesn't  want  them 
to  hurry,  I  began  to  fear  that  the  needful 
sanction  might  even  yet  be  withheld.  My 
fears,  however,  proved  to  be  groundless,  for 
after  a  few  hastening  minutes  from  the 
Foreign  Office  to  the  Treasury,  the  modest 
sum  of  ^750  was  placed  at  my  disposal,  in 
the  shape  of  a  book  of  blank  bills  on  the 
credit  of  my  paternal  government.  I  recall 
the  fact  that  that  was  on  a  Tuesday  after- 
noon, and  as  I  wanted  to  leave  London  for 
Cairo  with  the  Indian  mails  on  the  following 
Friday  evening,  I  had  not  very  much  time 
to  collect  my  wits  and  other  necessaries  for 
such  a  journey  as  I  was  about  to  undertake. 
"  Where  there's  a  will  there's  a  way,"  and  in 
this  case  there  was  a  great  deal  of  will,  for 
who,  at  the  ardent  age  of  twenty-four,  would 
not  rejoice  at  the  thoughts  of  such  a  journey, 
and  of  such  responsibility  as  the  trust  of  a 
mission  involved.     Even  the  still  vivid  recol- 


PREPARA  TIONS  FOR  THE  EXPEDITION.     25 

lections  of  the  weary  hours  of  riding,  and 
the  discomforts  and  dangers  of  my  journey 
over  the  same  ground  in  the  previous  year, 
could  not  deter  me,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  I 
found  myself  called  on  to  undergo  alone  the 
monotony  and  unpleasantness  which  I  had 
previously  shared  with  twenty  or  more  com- 
panions of  my  own  race  and  colour.  While 
waiting  the  pleasure  of  the  Treasury,  how- 
ever, I  had  been  jotting  down  numerous 
articles  of  camp  and  personal  equipment 
which  I  should  require,  so  on  that  same 
Tuesday  afternoon  I  was  able  to  spend  a  few 
agreeable  hours  in  that  very  agreeable  occu- 
pation of  buying  things.  I  had  good  reason 
to  be  fairly  well  satisfied  with  my  afternoon's 
work,  when  I  came  to  put  it  to  the  test  some 
weeks  later,  for  during  the  whole  of  my 
journey  I  only  had  to  regret  the  omission  of 
some  two  or  three  articles.  Being  a  naval 
officer,  and  a  non-combatant  at  that,  I  was 
not  provided  with  any  of  the  articles  of  a 
military  man's  kit,  which  enable  him  to  take 
service  in  the  field  at  a  moment's  notice. 
I  therefore  found  myself  buying  such  articles 

4 


26  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

as  a  kit-bag,  constructed  to  contain  goodness 
knows  what,  but  nearly  everything  except 
one's  horse  and  personal  attendants,  it  seemed. 
At  all  events,  when  I  saw  it  strapped  up, 
and  tilted  my  tall  hat  off  my  bedewed  brow 
at  the  end  of  the  afternoon  to  take  breath, 
that  bag  certainly  contained  a  camp-bed, 
bath,  basin,  water-bottle,  two  blankets,  air 
pillow,  gun  in  case,  sword,  looking-glass,  a 
bulky  despatch-case,  meteorological  instru- 
ments of  all  sorts,  a  marvellous  kitchener, 
which  in  itself  contained  kettles,  tin-plates, 
frying-pans,  spirit  lamps,  a  charcoal  grate,  a 
multitude  of  spice-boxes,  and  numerous 
other  culinary  utensils.  But  to  return  to 
the  bag  ;  in  it  were  stuffed  books  of  every 
description,  a  great  coat  and  many  articles  of 
clothing,  such  as  Baltic  shirts,  Cardigan 
waistcoats,  and  I  was  going  to  say  a  saddle, 
with  bridles,  holsters,  and  other  appurtenances, 
but  when  I  come  to  tax  my  own  veracity,  I 
fancy  that  these  latter  had  a  box  which  they 
shared  with  a  capacious  lunch-basket  fitted 
for  three,  for  of  course  others  might  join  my 
mission  at  the  last  moment,  and  if  they  didn't, 


DOVER  TO  CALAIS.  rj 

I  should  be  in  a  position  to  dispense  British 
hospitality  to  two  of  my  Italian  colleagues. 
How,  during  those  three  days  of  buying  and 
packing,  I  managed  to  remember  so  much 
and  omit  so  little,  afterwards  seemed  rather 
wonderful  to  myself:  for  I  had,  not  only  to 
buy  things  and  put  them  haphazard  into 
boxes,  but  to  arrange  that  the  articles 
which  I  should  require  at  the  various  pro- 
gressive stages  of  my  journey  should  be 
forthcoming  at  the  right  moment.  Close  to 
my  bed  I  kept  a  candle  and  box  of  matches, 
and  when  anything  crossed  my  mind  I  forth- 
with struck  a  light  and  committed  it  to  paper. 
As  I  did  a  good  deal  of  thinking  during  the 
dark  hours  of  those  rather  exciting  days,  I 
was  obliged  to  interrupt  my  rest  very  fre- 
quently. Friday  night  found  me  with  all  my 
goods  packed  ;  some  to  accompany  me  across 
the  Continent,  either  in  the  carriage,  or 
registered  through  to  Brindisi,  while  all  my 
heavier  gear  went  round  by  sea  to  Suez. 
I  was  not  a  little  tired  as  I  stood  on  the  deck 
of  the  steamer  at  Dover,  watching  the  ava- 
lanche of  luggage  rushing  down  the  inclined 


28  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA. 

shoot  from  the  Admiraky  pier  to  the  deck. 
There  were  elephantine  trunks  chasing 
wretched  httle  hat-boxes,  until  one  thought 
that  complete  destruction  must  await  the 
more  fragile  competitor  at  the  goal-post ;  but 
when  that  result  seemed  inevitable,  a  dex- 
terous hand  would  seize  the  light  article  and 
whip  it  swiftly  out  of  the  reach  of  its  more 
robust  pursuer.  The  channel  passage  on  a 
cold  December  night  is  not  the  sort  of  sea- 
faring experience  one  w^ould  choose  for  pas- 
time, and  I  have  indeed  known  men  for 
whom  the  mountainous  seas  of  the  roarino- 
forties  had  no  terrors,  but  whom  the  motion 
of  the  silver  streak  laid  out  like  schoolgirls. 
However,  after  a  fairly  fine  run  Calais  was 
reached.  When  one  came  under  the  blaze 
of  the  electric  light  there,  one  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  scanning  one's  fellows  as  they  filed, 
baggage  in  hand,  across  the  narrow  gangway. 
One  man  of  tremendous  personal  bulk,  and 
laden  with  enough  light  luggage  to  cause  me 
to  pray  that  he  was  not  to  be  one  of  my 
companions  in  the  sleeping-car,  jambed  fast 
in  the  gangway,  immediately  in  front  of  me. 


A   TRAVELLING  TOILET.  29 

Another  fellow-passenger  behind  me  re- 
marked, in  an  irritated  stage  whisper,  "  That 
fellow's  as  big  as  Mont  Cenis,"  to  which  I 
could  only  sigh  in  reply,  "  Yes,  but  un- 
fortunately without  the  tunnel  through  him." 
After  the  usual  haggle  with  the  conductor  of 
the  luagon  lit  as  to  who  had  engaged  berths 
and  who  had  not,  we  got  away  by  train. 
Four  of  us  shook  down  into  a  corresponding 
number  of  berths  in  one  compartment,  and 
my  memory  is  so  far  at  fault  as  to  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  next  few  hours  that  I  can 
only  describe  my  existence  as  a  series  of 
snorts  (human  and  locomotive)  and  jerks.  At 
what  intervals  these  occurrences  took  place 
I  am  unable  to  say,  but  when  daylight  again 
illumined  the  scene  we  were  rushing  through 
a  flat,  snow-covered  country.  Then  followed 
a  wriggling  out  of  bed  and  into  various 
articles  of  clothing,  a  little  steeplechasing 
along  a  narrow  passage  over  flights  of  open 
Gladstone  bags,  and  a  brief  and  unsatisfactory 
dabble  in  a  pint  of  icy  cold  water  rapidly 
gyrating  around  the  sides  of  a  metal  basin, 
as    if   to    keep    itself    warm.       Dix   inimiits 


30  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

darret  gave  one  a  chance  of  a  very  wel- 
come but  somewhat  hurried  breakfast,  and  a 
good  stamp  up  and  down  a  platform  to  set 
the  blood  circulating  through  one's  perished 
feet.  Cooped  up  in  fours  on  the  Inter- 
national Car  Company's  system,  one  is  pretty 
much  at  the  mercy  of  one's  companions,  and 
in  this  instance  I  was  fortunate.  The  army 
was  represented  in  the  person  of  an  officer 
whose  arm  was  still  hors  de  combat  from  a 
wound  received  up  the  Nile,  and  who  was  on 
his  way  out  to  join  the  Egyptian  army  ;  the 
Navy  in  myself;  the  Indian  Civil  Service  in 
a  third  ;  and  civil  life  in  a  fourth.  We  whiled 
away  the  day  with  cards,  reading,  smoking, 
eating,  and  gazing  at  the  scenery  as  it  seemed 
to  rush  by  us  with  a  circular  motion  like  that 
of  the  bits  of  glass  in  a  penny  kaleidoscope. 
A  moonlight  night  showed  us  the  declivities 
from  which  we  had  risen  as  the  train  emerged 
at  intervals  from  the  Mont  Cenis  tunnels  ; 
but  beautiful  though  it  may  have  been — was, 
I  mean — a  glass  of  whiskey  and  another 
night  of  snorts,  screams,  and  jerks  was  voted 
more  entertaining  than  the  contemplation  of  a 


SAUSAGES  AND  SLEEPING  CARS.  31 

series  of  not  very  well  lighted-up  gorges  and 
ravines.  The  fact  of  the  matter  was  that  I, 
at  least,  was  in  a  hurry  to  get  on,  and  we 
and  the  time  seemed  to  slip  along  more 
rapidly  in  sleep  than  otherwise.  I  so  feared 
that  something  might  happen  to  bring  about 
my  recall,  and  I  could  not  bear  to  contem- 
plate the  possibility  of  so  dire  a  disappoint- 
ment. It  was  something  to  have  a  mission 
to  carry  out  all  to  one's  self,  and  I  was 
desirous  of  acquitting  myself  honourably,  and 
felt  that  the  consciousness  of  my  power  to  do 
so  would  be  but  a  poor  satisfaction  to  me 
should  the  opportunity  be  snatched  from  me. 
On  the  following-  mornins^  after  another 
wriggle,  steeplechase,  and  dabble,  we  arrived 
at  Bologna.  We  breakfasted  on  the  native 
sausage  and  changed  our  International  car 
for  one  on  the  Pullman  system.  In  point  of 
comfort,  I  consider  that  the  former  is  not  to 
be  compared  with  the  latter,  but  our  little 
quartette,  consolidated  by  the  close  com- 
panionship of  thirty-six  hours'  acquaintance 
was  broken  up,  somewhat  to  our  mutual 
regret,    and    we    became  merged  in   an    ex- 


32  THROUGH  AB YSSINIA. 

tended  society,  numbering  in  all  sixteen. 
Beyond  the  bursting  of  the  pressure-pipe  of 
the  brake,  nothing  of  event  occurred  to  dis- 
turb the  even  tenor  of  the  day,  or  the  uneven 
tenor  of  the  Italian  railway  line.  We  were 
all  travellers  of  some  standing,  and  so,  though 
I  had  never  before  travelled  on  the  Con- 
tinent, I  was  able  to  contain  the  surprise  and 
amusement  which  the  strangely-attired  rail- 
way and  police  officials  excited  in  the  inner- 
most recesses  of  my  mind.  I  suppose  the 
British  bobby  strikes  the  intelligent  foreigner 
as  a  curious  specimen  of  our  national 
officialdom  ;  but,  though  I  may  be  prejudiced, 
he  seems  to  me  to  possess  at  least  the  merit 
of  solidity,  and  an  appearance  of  respect- 
inspiring  strength.  Such  being  the  case,  I 
suppose  one  cannot  expect  to  have  every- 
thing, and  therefore  one  must  forego,  with 
more  or  less  willingness,  the  consequentiality 
and  general  air  of  struttiness  which  seem  to 
be  the  predominant  characteristics  of  the 
little  beings  in  baggy  blue  breeches,  silver 
lace,  and  plumes,  who  clank  their  ponderous 
sabres  at  the  station  doors. 


A  RAILWAY  REFORMER.  33 

The  Pullman  system  enables  one  to  snatch 
an  afternoon  nap  on  the  upper  tier  of  berths 
without  interfering  with  the  rubber  of  whist 
going  on  in  the  seats  and  at  the  tables  be- 
low ;  and  as  we  are  to  be  disturbed  about 
midnight  to  transfer  ourselv^es  and  baggage 
to  the  steamer  at  Brindisi,  not  a  few  of 
us  avail  ourselves  of  the  opportunity.  We 
poor  Britons  had  evidently  been  greatly 
imposed  on  in  some  unascertained  respects, 
for  about  midday  a  native  gentleman  joined 
our  party,  and  from  the  time  he  did  so,  until 
he  went  to  sleep  some  three  hours  later,  he 
was  engaged  in  a  wordy  war  of  reformation 
with  the  conductor.  The  strife  was  carried 
on  at  such  a  terrific  pace,  and  with  such 
gesticulatory  emphasis,  that  we  hardly  knew 
whether  to  admire  more,  the  volubility  evinced 
by  the  disputants,  or  the  marvellous  tenacity 
of  their  limbs  to  their  trunks,  for  truly 
had  any  windmill  indulged  in  such  violent 
exercise,  centrifugal  force  would  have  in- 
stantly dismembered  it.  However,  the  new- 
comer was  but  of  human  flesh,  and  even- 
tually went    to   sleep,   leaving   us  in  blissful 

5 


34  THliO UGH  AB  YSSIXIA. 

io^norance  of  the  shortcominjirs  of  the  con- 
ductor  which  had  been  the  cause  of  his 
tirade.  We  reached  Brindisi  about  an  hour 
after  midnight,  and  I  lost  no  time  in  getting 
on  board  the  Mongolia  and  into  my  berth, 
where  I  made  up  for  the  lack  of  sleep  ex- 
perienced on  the  two  previous  nights  spent 
on  the  railway.  Three  bright  Mediterranean 
days  slipped  away  on  the  passage  to  Alexan- 
dria quickly  enough.  What  with  drawing- 
up  plans  for  my  journey,  studying  blue-books 
and  the  accounts  of  former  travellers  on  the 
subject  of  the  Abyssinian  question,  a  perusal 
of  Gordon's  journals,  and  Mayne's  essays 
on  "  Popular  Government,"  I  filled  up  the 
usually  idle  time  of  a  passenger's  life 
pleasantly  enough.  Amongst  my  fellow- 
voyagers  was  Canon  Liddon.  My  previous 
knowledge  of  the  eminent  divine  was  con- 
fined to  a  forty-five  minutes'  sermon  at  St. 
Paul's  some  years  previously.  I  have  since 
heard  that  forty-five  minutes  is  not  long  for 
a  sermon,  but  I  recollect  that  it  tried  my 
youthful  impatience  sadly,  and  it  would  be 
hard  to  decide  whether  the  seat  of  my  chair 


ALEXANDRIA   TO  CAIRO.  35 

or  that  of  my  trousers  was  the  more  reduced 
by  the  fidgety  wrigghng  which  I  kept  up  for 
probably  two-thirds  of  the  time.  At  daylight 
oil  the  24th  of  December,  the  Mongolia 
arrived  at  Alexandria.  After  much  hubbub 
with  the  cabmen  on  landing,  we  started  for 
the  station  in  batches,  and  by  ten  o'clock 
were  again  off  by  train  for  Cairo.  The  day 
was  warm,  the  carriage  full,  and  for  five  hours 
we  dawdled  alontr,  as  foreign  trains  can  and 
do  dawdle,  till  we  reached  Cairo.  Much 
discussion  took  place  as  to  the  merits  of  the 
various  hotels,  but  all  the  old  hands  insisted 
on  Shepheard's  on  all  accounts,  and  so, 
guided  by  their  experience,  to  Shepheard's 
1  went.  A  description  of  Cairo  and  of  Cairo 
life  would  be  out  of  place  here,  and  though 
much  will  occur  in  the  course  of  my  narrative 
to  give  my  readers  an  idea  of  the  place  as  I 
saw  it,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  what 
has  been  so  often  and  ably  portrayed  by  pen 
and  pencil  during  recent  years.  After  de- 
positing my  light  luggage  in  my  room,  I 
went  to  the  Chancellerie  to  leave  my  des- 
patches and  to  report  my  arrival  to  the  cJiargd 


36  THRO  UGH  A B  YSSINIA . 

d'affaires,  in  the  absence  of  the  minister  and 
consul-general.  A  stroll  about  Cairo  passed 
away  the  time  pleasantly  until  dinner.  A 
large  party  of  English  visitors  assembled 
at  fadle  d hote  that  Christmas  Eve.  Hav- 
ing no  friends,  I  had  an  opportunity  of 
taking  stock  of  my  surroundings.  The 
dining-room  looked  more  like  a  military 
mess-room  than  that  of  an  hotel,  owinsf  to 
the  order  that  officers  were  always  to  wear 
uniform  while  stationed  in  Egypt.  The 
masculine  appearance  of  a  mess-room  was 
modified,  however,  by  the  presence  of  many 
ladies,  either  winter  visitors  or  relatives  of 
officers  stationed  in  the  garrison.  On  the 
following  day  I  had  a  number  of  official 
visits  to  pay,  chief  amongst  them  being  one 
to  Sir  Henry  Drummond  Wolff,  Her 
Majesty's  High  Commissioner.  He  was 
waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  great  Ghazi 
INIoukhtar  Pasha,  who  had  been  so  long 
coming,  but  whose  arrival  never  seemed  the 
nearer  in  spite  of  the  lapse  of  days  and 
weeks.  However,  on  Sunday  morning,  two 
days   after  my  arrival,  the  news   reached  us 


GHAZI  MO  UKHTA  R  PA  SHA .  yj 

that  the  Turkish  yacht  had  arrived  in  Alex- 
andria harbour,  and  that  the  Pasha  would 
arrive  in  state,  in  Cairo,  the  same  day.  The 
procession  past  the  hotel  brought  out  on  to  its 
spacious  verandah  all  the  visitors,  and  was 
indeed  a  somewhat  impressive  sight.  British 
and  Egyptian  cavalry  and  infantry  combined 
to  swell  the  pomp.  The  hero  of  the  hour  was 
accompanied  by  all  the  diplomatic  and  mili- 
tary functionaries  of  high  degree,  amongst 
them  being  his  old  companion  in  arms. 
General  Baker  Pasha.  A  bystander,  who 
probably  had  had  considerable  experience 
of  Turkish  officials  and  their  manner  of 
conducting  business,  prophesied  that  long  as 
Moukhtar  had  taken  to  arrive,  it  would  be 
longer  still  before  he  would  be  induced  to 
depart.  If  my  recollection  of  the  progress 
of  succeeding  events  is  correct,  this  predic- 
tion was  well  verified. 

When  I  left  London,  I  knew  that  I  should 
be  obliged  to  remain  at  least  a  week  in  Cairo 
to  await  some  further  instructions  and  the 
arrival  of  the  swords  for  the  kine  and  his 
son,  and  presents  for  other  chiefs,  but  I  con- 


38  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSIXIA. 

sidered  that  this  would  give  me  not  any  too 
much  time  to  obtain  my  camp  and  transport 
equipment,  and  therefore  I  hastened  on  in 
order  that  I  might  be  ready  for  a  start  as 
soon  as  my  work  should  be  cut  out  for 
me.  jNIy  mission,  however,  began  to  grow 
in  my  hands,  and  involved  frequent  inter- 
views with  various  diplomatic  officials  in 
Cairo.  Besides  this,  the  work  of  estimatinof 
for  my  requirements,  in  the  matter  of  equip- 
ment and  provisions,  occupied  considerable 
time,  and  entailed  no  little  labour.  Without 
this,  the  enforced  idleness  would  have  caused 
the  time  to  hang  heavily  on  my  hands.  As 
it  was,  I  had  enough  work  to  keep  the  devil 
out  of  my  mind,  and  some  lime  to  spare  for 
my  own  amusement.  I  had  taken  the  pre- 
caution, while  in  London,  of  requesting  that 
the  military  authorities  in  Cairo  might  be 
authorized  to  comply  with  all  my  requests 
for  the  supply  of  stores,  and  I  therefore 
proceeded  to  the  headquarters,  and  having 
been  put  into  the  way  of  obtaining  what  I 
wanted,  I  lodged  the  requisite  papers,  and 
overlooked     the     packing     of     the    various 


LYDJAN  MOUNTAIN  TENTS.  39 

articles,  learning  their  uses,  when  I  did  not 
already  know  them.  The  supplies  drawn 
from  this  source  comprised  a  very  miscel- 
laneous collection  of  goods,  of  which  some 
of  the  most  important  were  four  Indian 
mountain  tents,  which  I  knew  to  be  handy, 
easily  pitched  and  struck,  very  efficient 
against  sun  and  weather,  and  about  the  most 
comfortable  form  of  house,  in  so  small  a  space, 
that  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  My  further 
experience  only  confirmed  me  in  this  opinion, 
and  to  any  one  who  has  not  arrived  at  a  con- 
clusion from  his  own  experience,  and  who 
may  be  wanting  a  serviceable  tent  for  all 
contingencies,  I  can  strongly  recommend  a 
trial  of  this  pattern.  Made  of  light  Indian 
cotton,  and  with  bamboo  supports,  it  weighs 
only  120  lbs.,  and  is  very  portable  therefore. 
The  Abyssinian  mule  is  a  small  animal,  but 
constantly  carried  two  complete  tents,  pro- 
vided they  were  fairly  dry;  and  this  up  and 
down  steep  mountain  sides,  over  rugged 
rocky  paths,  for  weeks  together.  I  also  pro- 
vided myself  with  about  twenty-five  of  the 
army  pattern    pack-saddles,   and    though     I 


40  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

should  have  preferred  a  smaller  size  for  the 
beasts  who  had  to  carry  them,  yet  I  found 
that  they  were  well  adapted  to  the  rough 
and  heavy  work  which  was  afterwards  re- 
quired of  them.  Some  water  -  tanks  for 
camel  transport,  but  which  mules  carried 
easily  enough  half-filled,  were  also  taken  ; 
waterproof  sheets,  picketing  poles  and  ropes, 
nose-bags,  and  many  other  indispensable 
articles.  Then,  besides  a  quantity  of  pro- 
visions which  I  was  obliged  to  buy,  I  drew 
from  the  commissariat  stores  such  articles 
as  tea,  coffee,  sugar,  field  rations,  and  tinned 
meats,  because,  although  T  knew  that  on  my 
previous  journey  in  Abyssinia  supplies  of 
every  kind  had  been  obtainable,  I  could  not 
be  sure  that  my  route  would  be  through 
districts  where  the  natives  might  be  so  hos- 
pitably inclined  ;  and,  in  addition  to  this,  the 
Italian  occupation  of  Massowah  was  likely  to 
have  so  changfed  the  feelinsfs  of  the  natives 

o  o 

from  favourable  to  unfavourable,  that  it  was 
quite  possible  that  I  should  be  regarded  as  an 
enemy  during  the  entire  course  of  my  jour- 
ney  to  the  king,   and,   in   the   event  of  my 


STREET  STEEPLECHASING.  41 

mission    failing,    on    the    return    journey    as 
well. 

I  have  said  that  in  collecting  my  equip- 
ment and  in  planning  my  journey  I  found 
sufficient  to  occupy  me  some  hours  daily, 
but  I  had  plenty  of  leisure  for  recreation. 
This  latter  1  spent  in  visiting  the  various 
quarters  of  the  town,  in  riding,  an  occasional 
cricket  match,  or  in  watching  the  polo.  On 
two  occasions  I  was  unfortunate  in  my 
equestrian  experiences.  I  had  undertaken 
to  escort  a  lady  for  a  ride,  on  behalf  of  a 
friend  who  had  been  unable  to  fulfil  his 
enga^^ement  at  the  last  moment.  He  there- 
fore mounted  me  on  a  horse  which  had  been 
raced  a  good  deal,  and  was  in  fact  the  steeple- 
chaser ot  the  place.  Quiet  enough  by  him- 
self, my  horse  was  stirred  into  a  spirit  of 
competition  by  my  companion's  pony  trotting 
alongside,  and  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  I  was 
doing  my  utmost  to  hold  him,  and  that  we 
were  still  in  the  streets  of  Cairo  and  not  on 
the  Gezireh,  he  dashed  off  through  the 
crowded  street.  For  some  moments  I 
managed  to  avoid  a  collision,  but  a  frightened 

6 


42  THRO  UGH  A  B  V SSI XI A, 

woman,  carrying  a  baby  in  her  arms  and  a 
basket  of  oranges  on  her  head,  ran  first 
towards  one  side  of  the  road  and  then  back, 
rendering  it  quite  impossible  for  me  to  keep 
clear  of  her.  As  I  sailed  by,  the  toe  of  my 
boot  touched  her  back,  but  not  with  any  force. 
My  proximity,  however,  was  too  much  for 
her,  and  she  dropped  the  baby  to  save  the 
oranges.  My  lady  competitor  being  now 
well  out  of  the  race,  I  was  able  to  pull  up  and 
turn  back  to  examine  the  extent  of  the  mis- 
chief, which  I  was  relieved  to  find  was  not 
serious.  As  usual  on  such  occasions,  there 
was  much  excitement,  which  manifested  itself 
in  the  shouting  and  gesticulations  of  the 
crowd,  and  the  bold  gendarmes  of  the  place 
promptly  laid  hands  on  my  bridle  with  a  view 
of  marching  me,  horse  and  all,  into  custody. 
Foreseeing  the  endless  and  unnecessary  bother 
which  a  compliance  with  the  demands  of  the 
police  would  entail,  I  shook  myself  free  of 
them  and  the  crowd,  and  continued  my 
ride  in  search  of  my  missing  companion, 
whom  I  eventually  tracked  to  her  tea-table. 
Oxi   another    occasion     I     accompanied    the 


A  PASSED  CHARGER.  43 

troops  on  a  field  day  at  the  Pyramids.  I 
ordered  a  horse  from  the  French  riding- 
school,  and  warned  the  proprietor  of  the 
purpose  for  which  I  required  it.  I  was 
emphatically  assured  that  I  should  be  pro- 
vided with  an  animal  accustomed,  as  its 
owner  put  it,  to  "  music  and  the  cannon."  A 
good-looking  jet-black  arrived,  and  having 
stowed  away  flasks  and  luncheon  in  our 
holsters,  a  friend  and  myself  mounted  our 
respective  steeds.  The  quiet  behaviour  of 
my  animal  considerably  astonished  me  at  first, 
as  it  was  so  much  opposed  to  the  impression 
which  his  wicked  eye  made  on  others  as  well 
as  myself.  Before  crossing  the  Nile,  I  had 
occasion  to  go  into  the  yard  of  the  Kasr-el- 
Nil  Barracks  to  make  some  request  regarding 
the  stores  being  collected  there  for  me.  Here 
I  first  received  a  hint  of  what  was  coming, 
and  directly  I  was  clear  outside,  and  had 
turned  my  nag's  head  toward  the  bridge,  he 
gave  a  succession  of  short,  quick  bucks  and 
dashed  off,  descrlblncf  vic:orous  circles  with 
his  tail,  for  all  the  world  like  the  track  of  a 
revolving  and  advancing  comet.      But  for  the 


44  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA. 

warning  in  the  barrack-yard,  the  preliminary 
bucks  would  have  unseated  me,  and  left  my 
horse  to  pursue  his  meteoric  course  un- 
accompanied. After  a  rush  of  half  a  mile 
or  so  alonof  the  wronof  road,  I  manao^ed  to 
pull  him  in,  and  retrace  my  path  till  I  reached 
a  turning  which  I  had  desired  to  lake  soon 
after  clearing  the  bridge,  but  which  it  will  be 
readily  understood  I  had  missed  in  the  hrst 
instance.  The  entire  journey  to  the  Pyramids 
was  a  series  of  advances  by  short  quick 
rushes,  relieved  by  brief  intervals  of  quiet, 
but  always  heralded  by  the  preliminary 
bucks.  The  fatigue  engendered  by  these 
proceedings  abated  my  appreciation  of  the 
Pyramids,  the  largest  of  which  I  was  only 
too  glad  to  use  as  a  rest  for  my  back  while 
I  consumed  the  contents  of  my  fla-^k  and 
sandwich-case.  Anticipating  even  more 
energetic  behaviour  on  the  part  of  my  steed 
on  the  return  journey,  I  decided  to  start 
before  the  troops,  in  order  to  have  as  clear 
a  road  as  possible.  After  about  two  rushes, 
I  overtook  an  officer  riding  slowly  back, 
unwell.     While   I   was  content  to   walk  and 


HOW  TO  RIDE  IN  FREXCII.  45 

converse  with  him,  relating  the  vagaries  of 
my  horse,  we  jogged  along  quietly  enough, 
but  on  endeavouring  to  force  our  horses  into 
a  trot,  mine  gave  practical  illustration  to  my 
narraiive.  At  intervals  I  was  able  to  enjoy 
the  society  of  my  friend,  who  finally  advised 
me,  as  my  saddle  was  a  valuable  one,  to  take 
it  off  when  we  reached  the  river,  and  push  the 
horse  over  the  bridge, — a  course  which  I 
should  then  have  willingly  adopted  had  the 
horse  been  my  property.  No  doubt  my  seat 
profited  in  firmness  by  this  exercise,  but  the 
exercise  itself  was  not  pleasant.  My  com- 
plaint at  the  stables  v;as  met  by  the  advice, 
given  all  too  late,  ''  JVe  toiLcJiez pas  les  jambes, 
laissez  les  viains''  What  the  result  of  adopt- 
ing such  advice  would  have  been  I  cannot  of 
course  say,  but,  judging  from  my  hardly 
acquired  experience,  I  should  imagine  that  I 
should  have  been  either  left,  at  the  outset,  on 
the  flat  of  my  back  on  the  bridge,  or  found 
myself  at  Khartoum  long  before  the  Soudan 
w^ould  have  been  quiet  enough  to  admit  of 
my  proceeding  with  safety  beyond  Wady 
Haifa.      A    loose    seat    seemed    but    a   poor 


46  THROUGH  ABYSSIMA. 

preventlv^e  against  the  displacement  which 
might  follow  a  sudden  buck  on  the  part  of 
one's  steed,  and  a  slack  rein  quite  inadequate 
to  restrain  the  impetuous  career  of  a  bolting 
brute  such  as  I  had  ridden.  From  a  spec- 
tator's point  of  view  the  effect  had  been 
stirring,  I  afterwards  learned,  and  in  the 
compliments  paid  to  my  sticking  powers,  my 
fatigued  body  and  mind  found  some  little 
solace. 

After  rather  more  than  a  fortnight  in  Cairo, 
and  when  I  was  beginning  to  find  my  time 
hanging  somewhat  heavily,  I  determined  to 
take  a  i^w  days'  run  to  Alexandria.  My 
journey  was  necessary  also,  as  I  wished  to 
match  a  specimen  cartridge,  in  order  to 
take  a  supply  of  the  same  to  the  King  of 
Abyssinia,  who  had  sent  the  specimen  to 
England  with  a  request  to  that  effect.  I  had 
searched  Cairo  thoroughly  In  my  quest,  but 
had  been  unable  even  to  ascertain  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  rifle  to  which  It  belonged.  So,  one 
Sunday  evening  I  left  by  the  mail  train,  which 
afforded  perfectly  reasonable  travelling,  in 
great  contrast  to  the  ordinary  slow  train  by 


A  NAVAL  SHIKARI.  47 

which  I  had  reached  Cairo  from  Alexandria. 
I    put   up    at    the    Hotel    Khedivial,    which 
I    found    very  comfortable.      My  search    for 
cartridges  took  me  ov^er  nearly  the  whole  of 
Alexandria,  and  indeed  well  into  the  suburbs, 
for  there  was  livincr  in  a  tent  on  the  beach 
beyond  Ramleh  an  elderly  naval  man,   who 
had   acquired   for   himself  a  reputation   as  a 
mighty  hunter.      He  was  thus  possessed  of 
many  varieties  of  fire-arm,  and  stories  of  his 
recent  exploits  in  Abyssinia,   which  reached 
me,  also  increased  my  desire  for  an  interview. 
After  one  or  two  ineffectual  endeavours,  I  at 
last  found  him  at  home  in  his  tent.     As  to 
the  cartridge,  he  was  unable  to  say  to  what 
rifle  my  specimen,  belonged,  so  we  passed  in 
succession  to  other  subjects  of  mutual  interest. 
The  old  fellow  could  say  nothing  bad  enough 
for  Abyssinia  and  its  people  ;  on  many  points 
of   the    national    character    I   was   unable   to 
dispute  the  truth  of  his  views,  but  they  had  a 
lack  of  originality  about  them,  and  I  therefore 
questioned  him  as  to  his  sporting  experiences 
in  the  country.      His   accounts  of  the  large 
game,  elephants,  lions,  &c.,  with  which  the 


48  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSIXIA . 

country  teemed,  made  me  congratulate  my- 
self on  having  escaped  with  my  life  on  my 
last  journey,  and  I  trembled  for  my  safety  in 
the  future.  My  friend  was  also  very  com- 
municative on  the  subject  of  his  revolution  in 
the  manner  of  pitching  tents.  His  plans 
certainly  had  the  merit  of  rapidity,  but  I 
called  to  mind  certain  shapeless  heaps  of 
canvas  and  sticks  which,  on  one  of  my  futile 
searches  for  him,  had  been  pointed  out  to  me 
as  his  tents,  and  I  mentally  decided  to  prefer 
driving  in  a  few  more  pegs  when  pitching  my 
tent,  to  extricating  myself  from  a  collapsed 
and  soakins:  shroud  of  canvas  at  intervals 
during  any  stormy  night  which  it  might  be 
my  lot  to  encounter.  A  great  revolution  in 
pistols  was  also  absorbing  the  mind  of  the 
gallant  ex-captain,  the  details  of  which  I  will 
not  divulge  as  they  may  by  now  be  protected 
by  royal  letters  patent.  My  visit  to  this 
hermit  afterwards  received  additional  interest 
from  further  particulars  as  to  his  Abyssinian 
exploits  which  I  learned  at  Massowah,  but 
which,  to  conclude  my  story,  may  be  related 
here.     His  journey  towards   Abyssinia   had 


PARIAH  SHOOTING.  49 

extended  to  a  few  yards  beyond  Monkullu, 
which  is  an  outlying  fort  some  four  miles 
from  Massowah.  Here,  under  the  protection 
of  a  formidable  body  of  Italian  infantry  and 
artillery,  he  had  shot  at  several  pariah  dogs  ; 
but  because  either  the  Italian  or  the  Abys- 
sinian would  not  permit  him  to  proceed  into 
the  interior,  he  had  returned  to  the  coast  and 
embarked  for  Egypt,  presumably  without 
having  satisfied  his  sporting  instincts  to  the 
extent  which  his  narrative  led  one  to  suppose 
must  have  been  his  desire.  He  was  an 
imaginative  old  grentleman,  but  his  stories 
and  their  sequels  reminded  me  of  the  contents 
of  the  blue  and  white  packets  of  the  Seidlitz 
powder,  as  they  required  to  be  taken  together 
to  make  their  virtues  apparent. 

During  the  few  days  spent  at  Alexandria, 
I  visited  the  "  Orion,''  and  met  a  few  of  my 
naval  friends,  by  whom  I  was  introduced 
to  several  of  the  residents  ;  and  to  any  one 
conversant  with  Alexandrian  society  at  this 
time,  it  will  be  needless  to  add  that  I  ex- 
perienced as  much  hospitality  as  could  be 
well  crowded  into  a  flying  visit. 

7 


so  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

On  my  return  to  Cairo,  I  found  all  my 
camp  and  transport  equipment  packed  in  large 
cases  ready  for  shipment,  and  I  therefore 
despatched  it  to  Suez.  Before  leaving  Cairo 
I  obtained  an  interview  with  the  Coptic 
patriarch,  on  whom  devolves  the  appointment 
of  an  Aboona,  or  High  Priest,  to  Abyssinia. 
The  withholding  of  an  Aboona  by  Egypt 
was  for  some  years  one  of  the  many  causes 
of  disagreement  between  that  country  and 
Abyssinia,  because,  by  the  religious  laws  of 
the  latter,  a  Coptic  Aboona  was  the  only 
person  who  could  ordain  priests.  The 
patriarch  entrusted  me  with  a  few  messages 
for  the  Aboona,  and  I  took  my  leave  after 
a  very  satisfactory  interview.  Just  before 
midnight  I  completed  my  packing  and  went 
to  bed,  ready  for  a  start  on  the  morrow. 
A  visit  to  a  dentist  brought  my  stay  in  Cairo 
to  a  close,  and  I  hastened  off  to  the  station 
just  in  time  to  catch  the  train  for  Suez. 


III. 

SUEZ,  SUAKIN,  AND  MASSOWAH. 


III. 

SUEZ,    SUAKIN,    AND    MASSOWAH. 

The  only  available  compartment  in  the  train 
was  already  occupied  by  a  monkey,  chained 
to  the  window-sash  with  a  tether  long  enough 
to  enable  him  to  roam  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  compartment  at  his  own,  anything  but 
sweet  will.  As  a  companion,  I  found  him 
so  objectionable  before  starting  that  I  had 
him  removed.  In  the  train  were  a  number 
of  English  soldiers  Sfoinof  to  Ismailia  or  Suez 
to  join  a  homeward-bound  troopship.  As  we 
steamed  out  of  the  station  at  Tel-el-Kebir, 
close  to  the  little  cemetery  which  contains 
the  bodies  of  our  countrymen  who  fell  there 
in  1882,  the  troops  gave  their  fallen  comrades 
a  few  ringing  cheers,  which  were  borne  away 
over  the  surrounding  desert  just  as  were  the 
cheers  of  the  boys  who  stormed  the  trenches 


54  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA. 

on  that  dawning  September  morn,  when, 
having  passed  the  hail  of  Egyptian  bullets, 
they  rushed  the  intrenchments,  and  threw 
themselves  at  the  Egyptian  guns  and  bayonet 
points.  After  as  dreary  a  day's  railway 
journey  as  can  be  well  conceived,  the  train 
arrived  at  Suez  at  half-past  seven  in  the 
evening.  The  choice  of  quarters  is  limited, 
and  I  therefore  put  up  at  the  Suez  hotel, 
where  a  dinner  of  soup  and  sago-pudding 
was  all  I  could  obtain  to  restore  my  wasted 
vigour.  I  spent  the  next  day  getting  my 
stores  on  board  the  lona.  The  docks  are 
reached  by  traversing  a  neck  of  land  along 
which  the  railway  is  laid  ;  but  unless  one 
happens  to  just  catch  a  train,  it  is  better  to 
take  a  donkey.  In  the  evening  I  dined  with 
the  Eastern  Telegraph  Company's  well- 
known  superintendent,  and  after  dinner  re- 
paired with  my  host  and  his  wife  to  the  Con- 
sulate, for  whist.  The  one  respect  in  which  I 
did  not  feel  that  my  arrangements  were  fairly 
complete  was  that  of  money.  The  only  coin 
which  passes  current  in  Abyssinia  is  the 
Maria   Theresa   dollar   of    1780,    of    which 


ABYSSINIAN  COINAGE.  55 

many  thousands  are  coined  annually  for  use 
in  that  country.  The  natives  scrutinize  most 
closely  every  dollar  tendered,  and  will  reject 
it  if  they  suspect  its  genuineness.  They  are 
careful  to  see  that  the  coin  is  neither  too 
new  nor  too  old  ;  that  it  bears  the  letters 
SF.  under  the  head  ;  that  there  are  eight 
dots,  or  "  mustard  seeds,"  on  the  coronet  ; 
that  the  brooch  or  "  moon"  is  not  worn  away  ; 
and  that  the  lettering  round  the  rim  is  not 
defaced.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  in  pro- 
viding oneself  with  money  for  the  journey  it 
is  necessary  to  pick  the  coins  carefully,  and 
as  I  could  not  be  sure  of  obtaininQf  sufficient 
at  Suakin  or  Massowah,  I  proclaimed  my 
desire  to  buy  some  in  Suez.  With  the 
assistance  of  the  pro-consul  I  soon  obtained 
as  many  as  I  required,  all  of  which  I  had 
carefully  selected,  for  I  knew  the  continued 
refusals  of  the  natives  to  accept  certain  coins 
to  be  a  cause  of  constant  annoyance,  though 
I  had  always  made  a  practice  of  putting 
away  rejected  dollars  in  a  separate  bag,  from 
which  I  drew  my  supplies  when  it  became 
necessary  to  bestow  a  money  present  on  a 


56  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

chief.  My  treasury  consisted  of  two  boxes, 
made  so  that  I  could  slide  part  of  the  lid  out 
without  removing  the  straps  by  which  the 
boxes  would  hang  on  the  pack-saddle,  and 
this  plan  of  packing  I  adopted  with  all  my 
stores.  My  goods  having  been  shipped  on 
board  the  Zona,  it  became  necessary  to  send 
another  vessel,  the  Romeo,  instead.  The 
exchange  was  a  good  one,  and  as  none  of 
the  trouble  of  transferrinof  the  carg-o  fell  on 
me,  I  had  nothing  to  do  but  be  thankful. 
On  the  day  on  which  I  had  arranged  to  sail 
from  Suez  I  received  a  telegram  from  Eng- 
land, stating  that  some  cartridges,  for  which 
I  had  already  waited  some  time,  would  not 
arrive  till  much  later  than  I  had  at  first 
expected.  It  was  useless,  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, for  me  to  arrive  at  Massowah  so 
early  as  I  had  intended  ;  but  as  I  did  not  wish 
to  lose  sight  of  all  my  gear,  and  could  not  at 
the  last  moment  remove  it  from  the  ship,  and 
as  it  appeared  unlikely  that  I  should  again 
get  so  comfortable  a  vessel  as  the  Romeo,  I 
decided  to  proceed  to  Suakin  and  spend 
some  time  there,   during  which    I    expected 


DOWN  THE  RED  SEA.  $7 

to  benefit  by  learning  the  latest  news  of 
Massowah  and  Abyssinia  from  the  consul 
and  others.  The  Romeo  belonged  to  the 
Hull  and  Norway  trade,  and  though  not 
designed  for  running  in  a  latitude  so  hot 
as  that  of  the  Red  Sea,  she  was  certainly 
comfortable.  There  were  only  nine  pas- 
sengers in  the  saloon,  including  one  lady 
with  her  husband  who  was  a  medical  officer, 
the  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Shropshire  regi- 
ment, a  captain  in  the  Commissariat  and 
Transport  corps,  who  was  returning  from  sick 
leave  when  he  apparently  should  have  been 
starting  on  it,  a  Roman  Catholic  chaplain, 
the  Italian  consul,  and  one  or  two  more. 
The  consul  told  me  that  he  had  travelled 
much,  and  had  been  in  Khartoum  with 
General  Gordon  at  one  time. 

We  sailed  from  Suez  on  the  evening^ 
of  the  22nd  of  January,  and  had  lovely 
weather,  the  temperature  being  so  well  bal- 
anced that  it  was  impossible  to  say  whether 
it  were  warm  or  cool  Not  so,  however,  on 
the  24th,  for  though  the  thermometer  regis- 
tered only  So'^  it  was  very  muggy  and  un- 

8 


58  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

comfortable,  and  I  thouQ-ht  that  I  had  never 
felt  the  heat  in  the  same  way,  although  not 
many  months  previously  I  had  returned  from 
a  long  tour  of  about  seven  years'  foreign 
service,  most  of  which  had  been  spent  in  the 
East  and  West  Indies,  where  So°  was  looked 
upon  as  comparatively  cool.  On  the  25th 
we  arrived  at  Suakin,  which  was  very  much 
changed  in  appearance  since  the  early  days 
of  my  acquaintance  with  it  in  December, 
1883.  The  quarantine  island,  then  a  perfect 
desert,  was  now  built  over  with  huts,  tents, 
storehouses,  and  a  railway  terminus.  The 
island  of  Suakin  proper  was  not  much  changed, 
but  along  the  promontory  which  forms  the 
southern  shore  of  the  harbour  were  huts  and 
hospitals  for  the  troops,  while  the  mainland 
was  covered  by  the  camp  of  the  Indian  troops, 
who  still  remained  to  garrison  the  place. 

On  landing  I  met  Brewster  Bey,  the 
sub-governor  of  the  town  and  the  Director 
of  Customs,  whom  I  had  known  well  in  1883 
and  1884,  and  who  had  then  rendered  my 
chief.  Sir  William  Hewett,  services  which 
were  of  the  utmost  value  at  a  time  when  we 


SUAKLW  LIFE.  59 

were  dependent  on  the  few  residents  who 
could  be  trusted,  for  the  benefit  of  their  local 
experience.  Brewster  Bey  most  hospitably 
took  me  in,  and  allowed  all  my  stores  and 
baggage  to  be  deposited  in  the  Custom 
House,  where  it  formed  a  goodly  stack. 
During  a  stay  of  about  eighteen  days  at 
Suakin,  I  was  able  to  improve  my  arrange- 
ments considerably,  by  having  recourse  to 
the  ordnance  stores.  A  morning  and  even- 
ing ride  were  my  usual  amusements,  but  in 
addition  to  these  I  had  the  good  fortune  to 
witness  a  race  meeting,  and  to  play  in  a 
cricket  match.  There  was  usually  a  gather- 
ing at  the  hotel  of  an  evening,  and  to  the 
music  of  an  orguinette  we  danced,  on  one 
occasion.  The  heat  during  the  day  gave  me 
ample  opportunities  for  indoor  study  of  the 
various  routes  which  former  travellers  had 
taken,  and  to  this  previous  preparation  a 
great  deal  of  the  success  of  my  own  marches, 
subsequently,  was  due.  Early  in  February 
an  Austrian  steamer  came  in,  on  her  way  to 
INIassowah,  and  I  engaged  a  passage,  but  as 
she  sailed  a  day  before  her  advertised  time, 


6o  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

I  missed  my  passage.  I  had  heard  her 
whisding,  but  as  she  was  not  flying  the 
"blue-peter,"  I  supposed  that  she  was  calling 
for  lighters.  On  that  same  morning  I  had  a 
grand  spill  at  a  water  jump,  when  galloping 
round  the  steeplechase  course  with  a  friend. 
His  horse  refused  to  jump  and  swerved 
across  the  hedge,  with  the  result  that  I  came 
violently  into  collision  just  at  the  moment 
when  my  horse  should  have  taken  off.  I 
therefore  had  the  pleasure  of  flying  over  two 
horses'  heads  and  alighted  on  my  feet  in  the 
ditch,  having  performed  a  somersault  and 
managed  to  turn  myself  round  so  as  to  face 
the  animal  from  whose  back  I  had  so  recently 
dismounted,  and  who  was  looking  wonder- 
ingly  over  the  hedge  at  me.  My  companion 
was  much  surprised  and  relieved  to  see  me 
unhurt,  for  beyond  a  few  very  slight 
scratches  I  was  not  touched,  and,  having 
mounted,  we  continued  our  gallop,  I  having 
added  another  item  to  my  equestrian  ex- 
periences. 

The    chartered   transport   Geelojig  arrived 
on  the  following  day,  with  Sir  Charles  Warren, 


RECEPTION  A T  MA SSO  WAH.  6 1 

the  newly  appointed  Governor-General.  She 
was  under  orders  to  proceed  shortly  to  Aden, 
so  I  obtained  permission  for  her  to  call  at 
Massowah  on  the  way,  in  order  to  land  me. 
On  the  1 2th  of  February  we  sailed  from 
Suakin,  and  I  greatly  enjoyed  the  clean 
comfort  of  the  vessel  at  sea  after  the  in- 
tolerable odours  of  the  town.  We  arrived  at 
Massowah  on  the  following  day,  and  I  landed 
at  once,  my  goods  being  transferred  to  lighters 
and  brought  ashore  as  quickly  as  possible  in 
order  to  allow  the  Geelong  to  proceed  on 
her  voyage.  The  Italian  naval  officer  who 
had  boarded  the  steamer,  conducted  me  to 
the  house  where  General  Pozzolini,  the  head 
of  the  Italian  Mission,  and  his  officers  were 
living.  I  was  received  with  great  courtesy, 
and  a  room  was  allotted  to  me  out  of  the 
very  limited  accommodation  at  the  general's 
disposal.  I  found  that  the  members  of  the 
mission  comprised  Signor  Bardi,  cf  the 
Foreign  Office,  Dr.  Nerrazini  and  Lieu- 
tenant Bonnefoi,  both  of  the  Italian  Navy, 
and  Lieutenant  Capacchi,  of  the  Artillery, 
and  these  were  to  be  my  companions  on  the 


62  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

journey  into  the  interior.  As  the  result  of  a 
correspondence  between  the  Foreign  Office 
in  London  and  the  Itahan  Minister,  the 
hospitahty  of  Italy  had  been  accepted  on  my 
behalf  during  my  stay  in  Massowah.  The 
Italian  Government  had  desired  to  extend  to 
me  their  hospitality  for  the  whole  journey, 
but  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury,  considering  that 
confusion  might  ensue  in  the  Abyssinian 
mind  if  the  two  missions,  which  were  for 
different  objects,  were  not  kept  distinct,  and 
because  my  work  would  probably  occupy  less 
time  than  that  of  the  Italian  Mission,  limited 
his  acceptance  of  this  offer  to  the  period  of 
my  stay  in  Massowah,  As  I  was  unable  to 
speak  Italian,  I  was  glad  to  find  that  Bonnefoi 
spoke  English  so  perfectly  that  he  might  pass 
easily  as  an  Englishman,  of  which  he  also  had 
every  appearance  of  being.  He  therefore 
took  me  under  his  wing,  and  during  the  whole 
time  of  my  acquaintance  with  him  was  un- 
varying in  his  kindness. 

After  a  very  cordial  exchange  of  formalities 
with  General  Pozzolini  and  his  staff,  I  was 
conducted  to  the  palace  occupied  by  General 


ITALIAN  HOSPITALITY.  ^z 

Gene,  the  Commandant  of  the  troops  and 
Governor  of  the  town  and  its  environs. 
General  Gene  repeated,  in  the  name  of  his 
government,  their  offer  of  hospitahty,  and 
desired  to  do  everything"  possible  to  assist  me 
in  my  duties,  and  to  make  me  comfortable  to 
the  full  extent  of  his  power.  As  it  would  be 
impossible  to  relate  the  many  acts  of  kindness 
which  I  received  at  the  hands  of  all  the  Italian 
officers  whom  I  met  during  a  prolonged  stay 
amongst  them,  I  must  content  myself  with 
saying  that  they  far  exceeded  their  promises 
in  every  way. 

While  in  Cairo,  I  had  engaged  as  my 
personal  servant  a  certain  Mahomed  Edrice, 
and  I  decided  that  he  should  be  the  only 
Mussulman  in  my  caravan.  On  my  previous 
journey  the  caravan  had  consisted  of  Mussul- 
man Arabs  and  Abyssinian  Christians,  in  the 
proportion  of  one  half,  and  though  they  settled 
down  to  work  together  fairly  well  in  the  end, 
there  was  no  little  dissension  at  times.  For 
instance,  it  occasionally  happened  that  a 
Mussulman  mule-driver  would  fall  sick,  and 
a   Christian  would  be  ordered  to  drive  the 


64  THRO  UGH  AB  Y SSI  NT  A. 

former's  mule,  A  wrangle  would  ensue 
between  the  Christian  and  the  headman 
through  whom  the  order  had  been  passed. 
With  the  assistance  of  an  interpreter  the 
matter  would  be  investigated,  when  it  would 
be  discovered  that  the  Christian  objected 
because  the  mule  was  a  "  Mahometan  mule  " 
by  virtue  of  its  having  previously  been 
driven  by  a  Mussulman.  In  addition  to 
little  difficulties  such  as  this,  it  was  found 
that  the  bigotry  of  the  Abyssinians  scarcely 
tolerated  the  sojurn  in  their  country  of  a  body 
of  Mahometans.  At  Suakin  I  engaged  the 
services  of  a  young  Abyssinian  named  Kassa, 
who  had  accompanied  us  through  the  country 
in  1884,  and  had  become  a  general  favourite 
on  account  of  his  cheerful  willingness  to  work, 
his  keenness  as  a  sportsman,  and  his  general 
intelligence.  On  our  return  to  the  coast  he 
had  been  taken  on  board  ship,  where  he 
remained  studying  English  with  two  other 
small  Abyssinian  boys,  until  he  was  qualified 
as  an  interpreter.  This  position  he  was 
holding  on  board  a  gun  vessel  when  I  secured 
his  services.      Immediately  on  my  arrival  at 


''WOLKEITV  BRU.  6; 

Massowah  I  engaged  my  head  interpreter 
named  Bru.  Now  an  old  man,  Bru  was 
educated  at  the  EngUsh  Protestant  College 
in  Malta,  whither  he  had  been  taken  by 
Antoine  d'Abbadie,  to  whom  his  uncle  had 
taught  Amharic,  as  the  principal  Abyssinian 
dialect  is  called.  From  185S  to  i860  he  worked 
in  the  telegraph  department  of  the  Egyptian 
railway,  at  that  time  managed  by  Englishmen. 
He  then  served  the  Red  Sea  and  Indian 
Telegraph  Company  until  Sir  Robert  Napier's 
expedition  into  Abyssinia  in  1867,  when  he 
was  employed  at  first  with  the  cavalry,  and 
subsequently  with  a  surveying  party  of  Royal 
Engineers.  Since  then  he  has  accompanied 
many  official  and  sporting  expeditions  into 
the  country,  including  that  of  Sir  William 
Hewett.  Being  well  connected,  he  has  con- 
siderable influence  to  add  to  his  valuable 
experience,  and  since  he  speaks  both  dialects 
of  Abyssinian,  English,  Arabic,  French,  and 
Armenian,  he  is  a  useful  man  to  secure.  With 
these  three  men  as  my  staff,  I  set  to  work  to 
form  my  caravan. 

From  Cairo  I  had  telegraphed  to  a  well- 
9 


66  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

known  merchant  of  Massowah  to  obtain  for 
me  about  thirty  good  mules  at  a  fixed  price 
which  made  it  worth  his  while  to  procure 
good  animals,  and  though  I  paid  slightly 
more  than  I  should  have  done  had  I  bought 
my  animals  one  by  one  by  bargaining,  I 
secured  my  money's  worth  many  times  over 
in  other  ways.  On  the  day  after  my  arrival 
at  IMassowah  I  went  out  shooting  with  the 
two  generals  and  a  few  officers,  and  on  my 
return  I  unpacked  all  my  saddlery  and  stacked 
it  conveniently  for  use.  I  engaged  about 
twenty-five  Abyssinians  as  drivers,  on  wages 
of  three  dollars  a  month,  and  I  devoted  some 
time  during  that  and  the  next  few  days  to 
teaching  them  how  to  pitch  tents,  strap  up 
cases,  and  many  other  duties  with  which  it 
was  necessary  they  should  become  familiar  to 
enable  me  to  keep  my  caravan  in  good  order 
single-handed.  I  laid  down  picketing  lines, 
with  head  and  heel  ropes,  so  that  when  my 
mules  arrived  I  examined  them,  and,  if 
accepted,  I  moored  them  head  and  stern,  so 
to  speak,  in  their  places  along  the  lines. 
This  process  was  not  got  through  either  so 


CARAVAN  DRILL.  67 

quickly  or  easily  as  is  that  of  writing  about 
it.  The  animals,  unused  to  discipline,  struggled 
and  kicked  furiously,  under  which  circum- 
stances it  was  a  work  of  art  to  confine  their 
heels  in  the  leather  straps  of  the  heel  ropes. 
My  men  evinced  a  decided  distaste  for  the 
job  at  first,  and  it  was  only  by  setting  them  a 
personal  example  that  they  eventually  took  to 
it  quietly,  and  induced  the  animals  to  do  the 
same.  I  used  to  drill  them  twice  daily  at 
taking  the  mules  out  to  water,  half  the  men 
performing  this  service  while  the  other  half 
cleared  up  the  lines,  laid  down  fresh  gravel, 
and  prepared  the  forage,  so  that  when  the 
mules  arrived  back  they  were  picketed,  fed 
and  cleaned.  Under  these  circumstances 
they  began  to  look  very  well  in  a  few  days, 
and  my  courtyard,  with  the  animals  drawn  up 
in  straight  lines  and  having  the  appearance 
of  being  well  cared  for,  was  much  admired, 
and  most  favourably  criticised,  by  many  com- 
petent Italian  officers.  I  refer  to  this  with 
some  pride  as  I  had  naturally  had  but  very 
little  training  in  such  a  matter.  Indeed  the 
contrast   between   my  own   mules  and  those 


68  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA . 

beinor  collected  for  the  Italian  Mission  was  so 
marked  as  to  lead  the  officers  of  the  mission 
to  take  a  leaf  out  of  my  book,  for  their  animals 
were  tied  to  various  posts  by  ropes  round 
their  necks  ;  consequently,  as  they  followed 
each  other  round  and  round  the  posts,  their 
tethers  became  shortened  until  they  were 
almost  inextricably  tangled  in  a  mass,  and  in 
danger  of  beino:  strangled  in  their  strus^Qrles 
to  free  themselves  from  their  ropes  and  the 
heap  of  mire  which  had  been  allowed  to 
collect  around  them.  The  next  thing  requisite 
was  to  fit  each  mule  with  his  own  saddle,  as 
the  animals  varied  considerably  in  size.  This 
was  another  operation  not  quietly  submitted 
to,  but  by  degrees  I  worked  through  the 
whole  of  them,  and  charged  each  man  with 
the  care  of  a  mule  with  all  its  saddlery, 
harness,  and  other  belongings  such  as  nose- 
bags, currycombs,  and  brushes.  A  man  to  a 
mule  may  seem  rather  a  generous  arrange- 
ment, but  it  is  difficult  for  less  than  two  men 
to  load  a  mule,  and  so  I  worked  them  in 
pairs.  The  roughness  of  the  country,  too, 
necessitates  a  strong  party  of  drivers  if  one 


WEIGHING  THE  LOADS.  69 

is  to  keep  a  caravan,  equipped  in  European 
fashion,  in  proper  order,  and  avoid  the  sore 
backs  which  are  so  terribly  common  among 
the  beasts  of  burden  in  Abyssinia.  Then 
came  the  difficuky  of  weighing  out  the  loads, 
and  allotting  various  weights  to  certain  mules. 
Many  of  my  packages  were  unsuitable  in 
dimensions  and  weight,  and  had  to  be  re- 
packed. The  assistance  rendered  me  by 
some  of  my  men  was  at  first  of  most  doubt- 
ful value,  and  except  that  I  had  particularly 
determined  not  to  be  driven  crazy,  I  am 
sure  that  such  would  have  been  my  fate  in 
a  very  short  time. 

Towards  the  end  of  February,  I  had  so  far 
completed  my  arrangements  as  to  be  able  to 
march  my  caravan  out  for  a  trial  trip.  This 
developed  a  few  defects  which  I  immediately 
put  to  rights.  But  it  must  not  be  supposed 
that  I  had  nothing  else  to  do  but  play  with 
my  men  and  mules,  though  indeed  that  was 
hard  enough  work  in  a  broiling  tropical  sun. 
Some  hours  daily  were  spent  in  discussing  with 
the  Italian  General  the  policy  of  the  coming 
mission,  and  the  steps  to  be  taken  at  certain 


70  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

junctures,  or  on  certain  possible  contingencies 
arising.  I  also  visited  the  various  naval  and 
military  establishments  at  Massowah,  and  got 
through  no  little  official  letter-writing,  which 
I  generally  worked  at  during  the  night.  I 
had  improvised  a  fairly  comfortable  writing- 
desk  in  my  room,  out  of  one  of  the  huge 
packing-cases  w'hich  had  contained  my 
saddles.  This  I  placed  with  one  side  on  the 
floor,  so  that  the  opposite  side  formed  the 
top,  and  I  sat  with  my  legs  inside  the  case  ; 
covered  with  an  indiarubber  sheet,  this  com- 
pared favourably  with  most  of  the  furniture 
of  which  the  establishment  boasted,  for  the 
Italian  officers  were  roughing  it  thoroughly. 

On  one's  interpreter  much  of  the  success  of 
such  a  mission  as  I  had  undertaken  depends, 
and  on  that  account  I  had  been  glad  to 
secure  old  Bru's  services.  I  had  suspected 
certain  passages  in  the  translation  of  a  letter 
from  the  king  of  Abyssinia  to  Queen  Victoria 
when  the  letter  was  shown  to  me  in  England. 
At  Massowah,  an  interpreter  in  the  employ  of 
the  Italians  told  me  that  while  in  Cairo  he 
had  translated  a  letter  which    I    knew   to  be 


n   A  «o      >.  -1    H    X     o  -I.   C     «n  -^   /•  «'  ""  ■"■  ■•    "'  "  *    A-    N    A   n  ,1.  »^  - 

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LETTER    FROM   KING  JOHN   OF   ABYSSINIA   TO   QUEEN   VICTORIA. 


TREACHEROUS  INTERPRETERS.  "Ji 

the  one  which  I  had  seen  in  London,  and  I  at 
once  taxed  him  with  the  inaccuracies.  He, 
of  course,  upheld  his  work,  but  some  months 
later,  when  I  met  him  again,  he  confessed, 
what  I  had  pretty  well  assured  myself  of  by 
that  time,  that  his  false  translations  had  been 
part  of  an  intrigue.  His  propensity  for 
intrigue  might  have  been  fraught  with  dis- 
astrous consequences  to  his  employers,  but 
for  a  fortunate  chance  which  turned  the  tables 
on  himself.  When  out  for  our  mornincr  ride 
on  one  occasion,  we  met  an  Abyssinian 
messenger  who  delivered  to  the  interpreter 
two  letters,  one  of  which  the  latter  gave  to 
the  General,  the  other  he  put  into  his  own 
pocket.  On  being  asked  why  he  was  corre- 
sponding with  the  interior  when  in  the  employ 
of  Italy,  the  interpreter  became  insolent  and 
said  that  the  letter  was  from  a  private  friend 
of  his  own,  and  he  refused  to  translate  its 
contents.  On  being  pressed,  he  tore  the 
letter  up  and  threw  down  the  pieces.  These 
were  collected,  and  having  been  pieced  to- 
gether, the  document  was  translated.  It  was 
to  the  effect  that  he   (the  interpreter)   need 

lO 


74  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSIMA . 

not  be  frightened  for  himself,  but  that  if  he 
brought  the  ItaHans  into  the  country  he 
should  be  rewarded.  He  was  therefore 
made  prisoner,  and  on  his  belongings  being 
searched  a  series  of  letters  were  found  ready 
for  delivery  at  various  junctures  to  the  dif- 
ferent chiefs.  In  these,  the  Italians  were  de- 
scribed as  treacherous,  and  as  spies.  He  was 
also  in  possession  of  a  number  of  presents, 
some  of  them  being  of  considerable  value, 
including  a  burnoose  cloak  with  the  cipher  of 
the  king  embroidered  on  it,  evidently  intended 
as  a  present.  We  then  discovered  that  he 
had  borrowed  money  from  many  people  in  the 
two  caravans,  amounting  to  several  pounds 
in  all,  of  which  ^lo  belonged  to  my  men. 
This  sum  the  Italian  General  ordered  to  be 
repaid.  I  have  but  little  doubt  that  the 
intrigue  of  this  scoundrel  would  have  brought 
about  the  failure  of  the  mission,  had  he 
accompanied  it  and  carried  out,  undetected, 
his  pretty  little  plot. 

When  at  Suakin,  I  had  endeavoured  to 
persuade  a  friend  of  this  very  interpreter  to 
accompany  me  in  a  similar  position  ;  but  he 


TREACHEROUS  INTERPRETERS.  75 

refused  to  go  under  any  conditions.  Later 
on  I  discov^ered  the  reason  for  his  refusal, 
which  was  this.  He  had  been  one  of  our 
interpreters  when  I  was  attached  to  Sir 
WilHam  Hewett's  Mission  two  years  pre- 
viously. It  appears  that  he  then  secretly 
conveyed  into  the  country  some  rifles  which 
were  discovered  by  Ras  Alula,  the  king's 
generalissimo.  Ordinarily,  the  latter  would 
have  insisted  on  their  confiscation,  but  he 
was  lenient  enouo-h  to  offer  the  man  the 
market  value  of  the  arms.  This  was  at  first 
refused,  and  more  demanded  ;  but  eventually 
the  offer  was  accepted,  and  I  believe  that  the 
matter  never  came  to  the  ears  of  Sir  William 
Hewett.  Subsequently  this  interpreter  wrote 
to  the  king's  son,  the  bishop,  and  another  of 
the  great  chiefs  of  the  country,  and  described 
Ras  Alula  as  a  robber ;  after  which  it  is  not 
surprising  that  he  was  not  anxious  to  put 
himself  within  the  Ras's  grasp  again. 

Even  with  old  Bru,  who  was  faithful  and 
willing,  I  had  great  trouble  in  getting  satis- 
factory translations  made.  He  appeared  to 
think    that    any   rough    sentence    was    near 


76  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

enough.  For  instance,  when  out  riding  at 
Adowa  with  Admiral  Hewett,  we  passed 
through  a  field  of  thyme,  and  other  herbs. 
As  our  horses'  hoofs  bruised  the  leaves,  the 
air  became  fragrant,  and  the  Admiral  told 
Bru  to  remark  to  the  chief  of  our  escort  on 
the  pleasantness  of  the  smell.  With  a  com- 
prehensive sweep  of  the  hand  towards  the 
nearest  range  of  mountains,  Bru  said  in 
Amharic  "  This  is  good,"  and  from  the  sky- 
ward crlances  of  the  chief  I  knew  he  under- 
stood  the  Admiral  to  have  said  "It  is  a 
beautiful  evening."  This  being  the  style  of 
business,  five  days  of  incessant  worry  and 
work  will  not  seem  over-long  to  occupy  in 
the  translation  of  a  letter,  containing  delicate 
diplomatic  phrases,  and  in  which  the  giving 
of  offence  was  particularly  to  be  avoided. 
The  Italian  officers  were  experiencing  even 
greater  perplexities  in  translating  the  draft  of 
a  treaty  which  they  desired  to  make.  To 
begin  with,  the  phraseology  employed  in  their 
drafts  was  of  a  description  so  complex,  and  so 
involved,  that  I  doubt  whether  the  Amharic 
dialect,  even  in  the  hands  of  the  best  inter- 


DEL  A  YS  IN  DEPARTURE.  77 

preter,  was  capable  of  reproducing  it  literally. 
In  addition  to  this,  having  no  Italian-Amharic 
interpreter,  they  were  working  from  Italian 
into  German  or  English,  and  thence  into 
Amharic. 

I  might,  of  course,  have  pushed  on  my 
preparations  more  rapidly  than  I  had  done, 
but  I  knew  that  I  could  not  start  until  the 
arrival  of  a  case  of  cartridges  from  Woolwich  ; 
and,  in  addition  to  that  reason  of  my  own, 
I  saw  that  the  Italian  Mission,  for  want  of 
mules,  was  further  than  myself  from  being 
prepared.  Besides  this,  again,  there  appeared 
to  be  some  hitches  in  their  preliminary 
negotiations  with  Ras  Alula  which  did  not 
promise  well  for  the  future.  Instructions 
arrived  from  Italy  that  the  mission  should 
not  leave  the  coast  until  some  definite  meet- 
ing place  with  the  king  had  been  fixed. 
From  the  first  I  felt  that  this  was  tantamount 
to  abandoning  the  enterprise,  for  the  Abys- 
sinians  would  never  commit  themselves  to 
such  a  decided  arrangement.  I  recalled  the 
difficulties  experienced  in  this  very  respect 
previous  to  the  Hewett  Mission  ;  for  though 


TS  through  ABYSSINIA. 

we  then  left  the  coast  on  the  assumption  that 
the  king  would  receive  us  at  Adowa,  on  our 
arrival  there  we  were  requested  to  travel  on 
still  further  ;  and  it  was  only  because  of  our 
resolute  refusal  to  move  a  step  further,  and 
after  a  patient  sojourn  of  five  weeks,  that  the 
king  finally  reached  that  place  and  entered 
into  neof-otiations  with  us.  I  therefore 
telegraphed  home  for  instructions,  as  I 
considered  it  probable  that  the  king  would 
postpone  negotiating  with  Italy  until  after 
the  receipt  of  the  Queen's  reply  to  his  last 
letter.  I  hoped  that  if  I  preceded  the  Italians 
I  might  pave  the  way  for  them,  and  so  I 
requested  permission  to  proceed  alone  in 
advance,  supposing  of  course  that  they  would 
follow  me  up.  The  permission  accorded  to 
me  under  this  understandino^  came  in  use- 
fully  under  circumstances  which  I  had  not 
foreseen  when  seeking  it. 

As  the  result  of  several  journeys  to  Asmara, 
undertaken  by  Dr.  Nerrazini,  to  visit  Ras 
Alula,  it  was  ascertained  that  the  king  was  at 
Burra-Meda,  a  place  which  it  would  require 
about  sixty  days   for  the  Italian   caravan  to 


ATTACK  ON  A  CARAVAN.  79 

reach  ;  and  allowing  about  the  same  number 
of  days  for  the  return  journey,  and  the  greater 
part  of  a  month  for  negotiations,  it  was  clear 
that  the  mission  would  probably  not  return 
to  the  coast  till  after  the  rains  in  October. 
These  rains  commence  with  the  break  of  the 
Indian  monsoon  in  June,  and  during  their 
prevalence  travelling  is  difficult,  and  in  some 
places  impossible,  owing  to  the  tremendous 
torrents  of  water  which  pour  from  the 
mountain  sides  into  the  river  beds  which 
they  overflow,  annually  causing  enormous 
devastation  of  life  and  property. 

I  had  ridden  out  to  Monkullu  early  one 
morning  with  Lieutenants  Bonnefoi  and 
Capacchi,  to  meet  the  Doctor  whom  we 
expected  from  one  of  his  journeys  to  the 
Ras.  Soon  after  he  arrived,  there  came 
in  a  caravan  which  he  had  passed  earlier 
in  the  morning,  and  which  had  been  set 
upon,  and  robbed  of  all  its  goods,  by  a 
band  of  marauders  under  the  command  of 
Debbub,  a  notorious  outlaw  and  a  relation  of 
the  king.  It  was,  of  course,  a  mere  chance 
that  the  Doctor,  who  was  alone,  had  not  been 


8o  THROUGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

the  victim  instead  of  the  caravan.  A  small 
body  of  troops  was  sent  out  in  search  of  the 
robbers,  and,  during  a  skirmish  at  long  range, 
one  of  the  Italian  soldiers  was  struck  by  a 
bullet  which  hit  a  cartridge  in  his  pouch. 
This  cartridge  was  in  a  packet  with  others, 
placed  heads  and  tails,  and  it  was  a  piece  of 
good  luck  that  the  one  struck  should  have 
received  the  blow  on  the  bullet,  for  all  round 
it  were  the  capped  ends  of  the  other  cartridges, 
which  would  have  exploded  at  the  man's  side 
had  they  been  struck. 

My  visits  to  the  out-lying  stations  were 
always  most  interesting,  for  I  could  not 
help  admiring  the  taste  displayed  by  the 
officers  and  men  in  arranging  their  huts 
and  the  surroundinor  o-round.  The  latter, 
indeed,  though  sandy  and  apparently  in- 
capable of  producing  anything,  had  in  many 
places  been  converted  into  veritable  gardens, 
producing  vegetables  which  added  very  much 
to  the  enjoyment  of  the  service  rations  on 
which  the  men  were  living.  At  Assab  Bay, 
where  the  settlement  is  older,  Italian  hus- 
bandry has  worked  wonders,  and  it  was  with 


A   TRIP  TO  SUAKIN.  8i 

no  little  pride  that  General  Pozzolini  used 
occasionally  to  point  to  a  dish  of  his  country- 
men's colonial  products  on  the  table,  asparagus 
or  some  other  delicacy,  produced  by  labour 
and  skill  from  a  soil  hitherto  resfarded  as 
sterile  in  the  extreme. 

While  waiting  for  the  preliminary  ques- 
tions at  issue  between  Italy  and  Abyssinia 
to  be  settled,  I  took  the  opportunity  of  a 
fast  gun-vessel,  the  Andrea  Provano,  going 
to  Suakin,  to  accompany  Lieutenant  Bon- 
nefoi  to  that  port,  where  he  hoped  to 
obtain  the  loan  of  some  pack-saddles  for 
his  caravan.  We  embarked  late  one  night, 
and  though  the  vessel's  accommodation  was 
limited,  we  were  made  as  comfortable  as 
hospitality  and  a  seamanlike  resource  could 
make  us.  We  sailt-d  early  on  the  following 
morning  and  spent  the  day  at  sea,  arriving 
at  Suakin  on  the  second  day  out.  The 
Commander,  Bonnefoi,  and  I,  went  to  call  on 
Sir  Charles  Warren,  the  Governor-General. 
He  was  unable  to  accede  to  our  request  for 
pack-saddles,  as  the  stores  did  not  contain 
sufficient  for  an  emergency,  should  one  arisci 

1 1 


82  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

which  would  require  transport  arrangements 
for  a  force  in  the  field.  Another  object  of  our 
voyage  was  the  despatch  of  some  telegrams 
to  Rome,  for  which  we  had  to  wait  replies. 
In  the  early  morning  I  took  two  of  my  hosts 
out  riding  around  Suakin.  It  had  been  my 
custom  to  ride  out  as  far  as  the  line  of  cavalry 
vedettes,  and  on  this  occasion  I  was  doing 
the  same,  having  seen  the  cavalry  go  out 
some  time  earlier.  After  riding  some  distance 
I  began  to  have  misgivings  as  to  the  safety 
of  my  position,  and  anxiously  scanned  the 
bush-covered  country  for  signs  of  the 
vedettes.  While  still  riding  on,  a  shell  was 
discharged  from  Fort  Foulah  and  burst 
some  few  seconds  later  at  a  safe  distance 
from  me,  but  in  tolerably  good  direction. 
From  this  I  judged  that  we  were  pretty  close 
to  an  ambush  of  Arabs  and  that  the  shell 
was  either  directed  at  them,  or  as  a  signal  to 
us.  Not  wishing  to  turn  my  back  on  the 
spot  where  I  imagined  the  danger  to  be, 
especially  as  our  horses  were  fresh,  and  some- 
what restive  at  the  explosion,  I  half- turned 
and  rode  along  in  front  of  the  forts,  keeping 


ESCAPE  FROM  ARABS.  83 

a  look  out  for  Arabs,  till  I  picked  up  the 
body  of  cavalry  and  rode  in  with  them.  On 
inquiry  at  the  fort  I  learned  that  I  had 
been  riding  hard  into  a  body  of  Arabs,  and 
that  there  remained  but  a  short  hundred 
yards  between  them  and  myself.  My  com- 
panions were  well  pleased  with  their  ad- 
venture, the  sequel  to  which  I  heard,  when  in 
Rome,  some  six  months  later.  It  appears  that 
Generals  Warren  and  Pozzolini  met  in  Cairo 
on  their  homeward  journeys,  and  from  the 
latter  I  heard  that  Sir  Charles  Warren  was 
much  incensed  at  my  conduct  in  risking  my 
companions  as  I  had  done,  so  I  concluded 
that  it  was  fortunate  that  I  had  not  met  Sir 
Charles  again  before  returning  to  Massowah. 
The  replies  to  our  telegrams  arrived  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon,  and  we  sailed  with 
them  on  the  following  morning,  reaching 
Massowah  on  the  afternoon  of  the  succeed- 
ing day.  During  the  passage  we  experienced 
a  head-wind  and  choppy  sea,  which,  if  it  did 
not  put  me  hors  de  combat,  had  the  effect  ot 
rendering  me  glad  that  on  this  occasion  I  wa^ 
only  a  passenger,   and  not  a  working   hand, 


84  THRO  UGH  A B  YSSINIA. 

and  therefore  able  to  indulge  in  siestas  in  a 
deck  chair  between  involuntary  interruptions. 
Previous  to  my  voyage  to  Suakin,  I  had 
learned  that  the  Italians  had  received  in- 
formation of  a  revolt  against  King  Johannis 
by  the  Wollo  Gallas,  a  fierce  tribe  of  converted 
INIussulmans  dwelling  onhis  south-east  frontier. 
This  news  had  come  originally  from  a  French 
convent,  to  the  French  Consul  at  Massowah, 
by  whom  it  had  been  communicated  to  the 
Italians.  It  was  reported  that  a  courier  from 
the  convent,  though  accompanied  by  an 
Abyssinian  representative,  had  been  unable 
to  pass  Wojerat  on  his  road  to  the  head 
priest,  on  account  of  the  robbers  and  Galla 
rebels.  It  was  also  stated  that  the  king  was 
much  embarrassed  in  the  midst  of  many 
insurrections.  I  attributed  this  story  to  an 
intrigue  on  the  part  of  the  Abyssinians,  to 
prevent  the  messenger  from  the  Roman 
Catholic  convent  travelling,  and  placed  no 
faith  in  the  report.  I  believe,  however,  that 
the  Italians  reported  this  amongst  other 
matter  to  their  government,  for  on  the  loth 
of  March,  after  the  arrival  of  telegrams  from 


GENERAL  POZZOLINI  RECALLED.  85 

Rome,  the  General  informed  me  that  in 
consequence  of  the  king  being  at  too  great 
a  distance  to  admit  of  the  mission  reaching 
him,  carrying  out  its  negotiations,  and  return- 
\\\<y  to  the  coast  before  the  rains  set  in,  he 
and  his  officers  had  been  ordered  to  return 
immediately  to  Italy,  their  mission  being 
postponed  to  a  more  convenient  season. 

It  now  became  difficult  to  decide  as  to  my 
own  movements.  On  the  one  hand,  my  duties 
could  be  carried  out  apart  from  the  Italians. 
On  the  other,  it  seemed  probable  that  I  might 
be  unable  to  traverse  the  country,  if  it  were 
in  the  disturbed  state  which  it  was  reported  to 
be  in  ;  further,  it  was  probable  that  Ras  Alula 
would  put  obstacles  in  the  vvay  of  my  doing 
so,  in  order  to  prevent  my  becoming  cog- 
nizant of  the  extent  of  the  existing  troubles. 
The  reasons  advanced  for  the  postponement 
of  the  Italian  Mission  weighed  also  with 
me,  though  of  course,  with  a  smaller  and 
very  well-equipped  caravan,  I  hoped  to  be 
able  to  perform  the  journey  very  much  more 
rapidly  than  the  Italians  could  do. 

General     Pozzolini    was    very    much    dis- 


86  THRO  UGH  A B  YSSINIA . 

tressed  at  being  recalled,  as  he  had  set  his 
heart  on  bringing  his  mission  to  a  successful 
conclusion.  He  asked  me  what  I  proposed 
to  do,  and  I  replied  that  I  would  sleep  on 
the  question  for  a  night,  and  tell  him  next 
day,  but  that  I  expected  to  determine  to 
proceed  alone.  My  reflections  had  the  ex- 
pected result,  and  I  decided  to  commence 
my  march  inland  when  the  vessel  conveying 
my  intended  colleagues  should  leave  the 
harbour  for  Italy.  No  one  believed  it 
possible  for  me  to  get  beyond  Asmara,  which 
is  but  three  days'  journey  from  the  coast ; 
but  I  did  not  consider  that  I  should  be  doing 
my  duty,  unless  I  proceeded  at  least  that  far 
in  order  to  satisfy  myself  as  to  the  practica- 
bility of  completing  the  entire  journey.  The 
permission  to  proceed  alone  at  my  discretion 
now  came  in  handy,  and  on  this  occasion  I 
considered  that  the  whole  was  greater,  and 
therefore  better,  than  its  part,  and  so  pre- 
ferred not  to  consider  discretion  better  than 
valour.  I  employed  the  two  following  da)  s 
packing  up  and  preparing  finally  for  a  start, 
writing  a  few  last  letters,  and  completing  my 


THE  ILL-FA  TED  FORRO  MISSION.  87 

official  despatches  up  to  d  ite  before  leaving 
the  coast.  Every  hour  seemed  to  dispel  the 
difficulties,  and  I  soon  became  positively 
sanguine  of  success,  and  elated  at  the  pros- 
pect of  undertaking  alone,  a  journey  from 
which  a  strong  mission  had  been  recalled. 
On  the  evening  of  the  second  day  my  in- 
tended fellow-travellers  had  embarked,  and 
w^ere  to  sail  on  the  following  day.  I  went 
on  board  the  vessel  to  bid  them  farewell,  and 
was  much  touched  by  the  distress  of  the 
gallant  General  and  his  officers  at  their  recall. 
On  board  the  steamer  at  the  same  time  were 
the  members  of  Count  Porro's  Mission,  who 
were  also  to  sail  on  the  following  day,  in 
another  vessel,  for  a  port  to  the  southward, 
whence  they  would  proceed  to  Shoa.  It  had 
occurred  to  me  that,  should  I  find  the  king 
in  the  far  south  of  his  dominions,  I  might 
leave  the  country  in  an  opposite  direction  to 
that  from  which  I  had  entered  it,  and  make 
the  coast  at  Tajourah,  instead  of  retracing  my 
steps  northward  to  Massowah.  In  this  case 
I  might  meet  the  Porro  Mission  again,  and 
before  parting  we  discussed  the  chances  of 


88  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA. 

such  a  meeting.  I  must  own  that  I  had  my 
misgivings  as  to  the  probabihty  of  any  one 
of  them  ever  returning  to  the  coast;  and  as 
I  reciprocated  their  wishes  of  ''  bon  voyage^'' 
I  could  not  help  reflecting  what  might  be 
the  fate  of  either  or  both  parties,  though  I 
reckoned  my  own  chances  higher  than  their's. 
To  dismiss  the  subject,  I  may  say  that  on 
my  return  to  the  coast,  the  first  news  which  I 
heard  was  that  the  whole  mission  had  been 
massacred  by  the  Emir  of  Harrar  and  his 
men. 

I  shall  now  leave  the  story  of  my  actual 
journeyings  in  the  interior  to  be  told  almost 
in  the  words  of  my  journal,  written  from 
day  to  day,  or  as  opportunities  occurred, 
under  circumstances  not  conducive  to  regular 
writing,  or  polished  and  studied  phraseology. 


IV. 

JOURNEY  IN  ABYSSINIA. 


12 


IV. 

JOURNEY    IN    AP.YSSINIA. 

March  13,  1886. — The  steamer  in  which  the 
mission  led  by  Count  Porro  was  travelling 
sailed  southwards  on  the  nicrht  of  March 
1 2.  The  Africa,  conveying  General  Pozzo- 
lini  and  his  staff  to  Italy,  left  soon  after 
midday  on  the  13th,  and  by  that  time  my 
caravan  was  in  motion.  Having^  seen  the 
last  of  my  pack  animals  off,  and  all  my 
belongings  which  were  to  be  left  behind 
having  been  stowed  away,  I  mounted  my 
mule  and  started  on  my  march.  As  I  could 
not  well  get  to  Sahaati  that  evening,  and 
desiring  to  accustom  my  men  and  animals  to 
their  work  gradually,  I  was  not  averse  to  a 
short  march  to  begin  with,  and  so  decided  to 
halt  at  Monkullu.  This  was  reached  in  an 
hour  and  a  quarter.  There  were  signs  of  a 
heavy  storm  brewing,   but  had   I   wished  to 


92  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

do,  SO  I  could  not  have  pitched  tents  in  the 
loose  sand,  so  I  stacked  my  baggage  under 
tarpaulins,  picketed  my  mules,  and  left  my 
men  to  their  own  devices  and  their  supper. 
]\Iy  bivouac  was  just  outside  the  fort,  but  I 
was  invited  to  dine  with  the  officers  in  their 
hut.  I  was  further  very  fortunate  in  being 
offered  the  bed  of  a  young  officer,  Lieutenant 
Moniscalcis,  who  would  be  on  duty  all  night. 
During  the  night  it  rained  in  torrents,  and 
there  was  much  thunder  and  lightning.  The 
rain  beat  through  into  the  compartment  of 
the  hut  which  I  occupied,  but  mercifully  did 
not  reach  the  bed,  though  the  ground  was  an 
inch  deep  in  water,  and  everything  was  afloat. 
By  taking  my  clothes  into  bed  with  me  I 
kept  them  dry ;  but  sleep  was  entirely  out 
of  the  question,  and  I  wished  heartily  for 
da)  break,  that  I  might  turn  out  and  com- 
mence my  march  in  order  to  dry  my  people 
and  animals  in  the  sun. 

March  14. — Just  when  I  should  have  liked 
to  start,  down  came  more  rain,  literally  in 
sheets  ;  and  when  I  had  got  into  my  boots 
and  waded  out  to  see   my  caravan,  I  found 


GOOD-BYE  TO  CIVILIZATION.  93 

them  all  shivering,  and  so  miserable  that  I 
decided  to  wait  and  let  them  breakfast  and 
get  a  little  dry.  By  eleven  o'clock  I  was  able 
to  make  a  start,  and  having  taken  leave  of 
my  kind  hosts,  I  turned  my  back  on  civiliza- 
tion and  white  faces.  The  Italian  General 
had  provided  me  with  a  Bashi-Bazouk  escort, 
and  we  ambled  along  at  a  fair  pace  for  the 
loaded  mules,  over  a  level  sandy  road,  now 
and  again  crossing  the  dry  beds  of  water- 
courses, occasionally  threading  our  way  be- 
tween hillocks  or  large  boulders,  till  after  a 
short  march  of  three  hours  and  a  half  we 
reached  Sahaati.  Here  there  is  good  water, 
as  water  goes  in  these  parts,  and  a  deep 
pond  in  which  the  men  were  able  to  bathe 
and  splash  about.  It  was  not  necessary  to 
unpack  my  tents,  as  there  is  a  zeriba,  or 
enclosure,  containing  some  huts  which  were 
built  to  accommodate  the  Hewett  Mission 
on  its  return  to  the  coast  in  1884.  They 
have  since  then  been  occupied  by  the  Bashi- 
Bazouks  in  the  pay  of  Italy,  and  both  huts 
and  occupants  have  long  been  a  sore  subject 
with  the  Abyssinians,  who  regard  them  as  aa 


94  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

encroachment,  and  have  always  considered 
that  they  portend  invasion  sooner  or  later.  My 
men  were  bivouacked  and  my  animals  picketed 
within  the  zeriba,  and  during  the  early  hours 
of  the  night  I  amused  myself  listening  to  the 
chatter  of  the  former  as  they  sat  in  groups 
around  the  fires  making  their  bread.  In 
Abyssinia  there  are  as  many  kinds  of  fancy 
bread  as  in  France,  but  on  this  occasion  they 
were  making  what  is  called  biirrakutta,  in 
which  the  dough  is  rolled  round  a  hot  stone 
and  placed  among  the  ashes  of  a  glowing 
wood  fire.  Though  as  heavy  as  lead,  when 
prepared  by  this  process,  it  is  nevertheless 
palatable,  and  that  is  the  great  thing  when 
an  active  outdoor  life  renders  one  inde- 
pendent of  digestion.  They  seemed  a  merry 
lot  of  chaps  as  they  jabbered  and  laughed,  till 
one  by  one  they  rolled  themselves  up  in  their 
cotton  shrouds  and  dropped  off  to  sleep,  and 
I  wondered  how  they  would  stand  by  me  in 
the  hours  of  adversity  which  probably  lay 
before  me. 

Overhanging  our  little  encampment  were 
two    high    rocky    hills,    and    on    the    top    of 


S AH  A  ATI.  95 

one,  as  the  moon  rose  above  it  and  showed 
up  its    dark  form  against  the   silvery   back- 
ground,   I   could  see  dusky  figures  moving 
stealthily  about,  while  others  seemed  to  be 
washing  clothes,  and  others  again — perhaps 
some  devout   Mussulmans  belonging  to    an 
Arab    caravan  —  appeared    to   be    standing, 
kneeling,   and    bowing,    alternately,    as   if  in 
prayer.     This  very  spot  has  been  the  scene 
of  not  a  few  deadly  encounters  between  the 
Abyssinians,  who  regard  it  as  their  frontier, 
and  various  bodies  of  foreigners  who  have 
encroached  on  it  in   a   threateninor  manner. 
It    has    an    advantageous    position    for    its 
defenders,   for,  lithe  as   monkeys,  and  sure- 
footed as  antelopes,  they  rapidly  descend  the 
rocky  steep,  and  dash  into  the  ranks  of  the 
invaders,    carrying    death    and    defeat   with 
them,  almost  before  the  latter  have  had  time 
to  realize  the  presence  of  a  foe. 

I  watched  with  considerable  interest  the 
preparation  of  my  first  supper.  I  have 
an  Abyssinian  cook,  or  rather  a  youth 
engaged  as  such,  but  his  lack  of  qualifi- 
cation is  already  apparent,   and   I    see    that 


96  THRO  UGH  A B  \ 'SSI XI A . 

Mahomed  will  have  to  superintend  the 
cuisine.  Eventually  I  get  some  Erbswurst 
soup.  For  the  information  of  some  of 
my  readers,  I  should  explain  that  this  is 
a  compound  of  pea-flower,  dessicated  meat, 
and  vegetables.  It  is  packed  in  rations, 
each  in  a  small  tin  cylinder  with  a  lid  at 
either  end,  so  that  to  prepare  it,  all  that  is 
necessary  is  to  remove  both  lids  and  push  the 
solidified  contents  into  a  saucepan  of  boiling 
water.  It  is  a  convenient  and  not  unpleasant 
ration  as  a  rule,  but  somewhat  unfortunately 
mine  is  maggoty.  However,  the  effect  is  not 
perceptible  when  the  compound  is  converted 
into  soup,  and  on  this  I  congratulated  myself 
since  I  could  not  rectify  it.  Tinned  sausages 
with  ship's  biscuit  and  boiled  rice  complete  a 
very  enjoyable  repast. 

As  I  sit  on  my  creaky  camp-bed,  listen- 
ine  to  the  lauehinof  and  iabberincr  I  notice 
how  a  couple  of  years  with  Europeans 
alters  these  natives.  Last  time  I  travelled 
with  Kassa  he  went  shoeless,  and  shrouded 
in  an  Abyssinian  toga.  Now  he  stalks 
about  in  a   suit   of    blue  and  white  striped 


MAHOMED  AND  KASSA.  97 

tick,  which   I   recall  as  the  former  property 
of   a  fellow-traveller.       A    broad    pistol-belt 
encircles    his   waist,  and    from   it  dangles    a 
fierce    knife — a    compendium    of    tools    and 
corkscrews.      Thick    woollen    stockings    are 
pulled  up  outside  his  trousers,  while  heavy 
boots    and    a    thick    tweed    coat    complete 
an  attire   more  suited  to   the  polar    regions 
than    a    shade    temperature    of    ZZ    degrees. 
Mahomed   and    Kassa  appear    not   to    have 
been  hitting  it   off  together  during  the  last 
few  days,  and   I   mentally  plan   how   I   shall 
prevent  these  two  from  open  dissension  ;  for 
one  is  a  Christian,  after  his  own  manner,  the 
other  a  Mussulman,  after  his,  I   suppose,  for 
I  never  see  him  at  his  prayers  like  a  true  son 
of  the  Prophet.     To  my  surprise,  therefore, 
Kassa  volunteers  some  praise  of  Mahomed. 
"  Mahomed  a   good  man  ? "    I    ask,  a   little 
doubtful      of     having      understood     aright. 
"  Yes,"  is  the  reply,  "  very  good  man.      He 
like  you  very  much,  do  everything  for  you, 
and   make    all    people    do,    not    like   some 
people."      I    have    often    wondered   at   Ma- 
homed's    seeming     officiousness,     and     the 


98  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

trouble  he  takes  with  the  caravan,  which  I 
look  upon  as  outside  his  sphere  of  work  ; 
but  I  seize  the  opportunity  to  tell  Kassa  that 
he  and  Mahomed  must  get  on  well  together 
for  the  orood  of  the  work  I  have  to  do. 
Another  small  scrap  of  a  boy  who  was  with 
us  before,  is  again  in  my  caravan,  armed  with 
a  big  pistol,  a  filter,  and  a  bundle  of  bedding 
as  big  as  himself  I  have  to  thin  down  the 
belongings  of  my  people  considerably,  or  I 
should  be  overburdened  before  lono-. 

Fearful  of  being  devoured  alive  if  I  sleep 
within  a  hut,  I  stretch  my  camp-bed  outside  ; 
but  the  midges  attack  me  ;  my  face,  lips,  and 
neck  are  burnt  and  scorching  ;  and  sleep 
refuses  to  come  to  me.  Suddenly  the  moon 
is  hidden,  a  torrent  of  rain  descends,  and  I 
seek  shelter,  and  eventually  find  sleep,  within 
the  hut. 

March  15. — Leaving  Sahaati  at  half-past 
six,  I  commenced  a  steep  and  rather  rugged 
ascent.  A  luxuriant  growth  of  vegetation 
contrasts  strongly  with  the  arid  desert  now 
left  behind  ;  numerous  trees  afford  a  welcome 
protection   from  the  rays   of  the   sun,  which 


AILET  PLAIN.  99 

even  in  this  early  month  have  acquired  a 
power  which  must  be  felt  to  be  appreciated. 
My  path  lay  over  a  series  of  undulations, 
sometimes  rocky,  at  others  sandy  and  less 
difficult,  until  an  altitude  of  about  one  thousand 
feet  was  attained.  From  this  height  one 
looks  over  an  even  decline  on  to  the  fertile 
plain  of  Ailet.  On  the  road  I  met  several 
caravans,  one  of  77  camels  loaded  w^th  date 
matting,  another  of  41  carrying  hides  and 
poles.  After  a  march  of  three  hours  and  a 
half  I  reached  the  plain,  and  sending  back 
my  Bashi-Bazouk  escort,  I  was  taken  charge 
of  by  an  Abyssinian  chief  called  Sheleka  Aria. 
The  village  of  Ailet  is  situated  near  the  foot 
of  the  slope.  Although  small,  supplies  are 
plentiful  and  game  abounds  on  the  surround- 
ing plain.  To  the  ^outh-west,  at  the  foot  of 
a  ranee  of  low  hills,  are  several  hot  minerEil 
springs.  The  temperature  of  the  pools  is 
such  that  the  water  cannot  be  entered 
suddenly,  but  a  bath  in  it  is  said  to  have 
wonderful  effects  in  many  cases  of  disease. 
When  cool,  the  water  is  pleasant  to  drink. 
After  a  rest  for  tiffin,  I   resumed  my  march. 


I  oo  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA . 

Sheleka  Aria  had  sent  a  messenger  to  ask  if 
I  would  go  on  with  him.  As  I  desired  to 
avoid  his  company  without  giving  offence,  I 
sent  an  effusive  reply  in  the  affirmative  and 
dawdled  over  my  preparations  for  a  start, 
with  the  result  that  he  rode  out  from  the 
village  before  I  was  ready.  I  then  said  that 
I  would  overtake  him,  and  I  started  my 
caravan  slowly  after  him,  bringing  up  the 
rear  myself  I  had  not  ridden  far  when  I 
found  him  and  his  men  resting  under  a  shady 
tree.  As  I  had  got  my  mules  safely  past 
him  I  stopped  to  talk  with  him,  and  after  a 
while  I  took  my  leave,  explaining  that  I  had 
to  look  after  my  men.  The  Abyssinians 
when  travelling,  gallop  their  animals  for  some 
distance  and  then  take  a  short  rest,  and,  as  I 
preferred  to  keep  steadily  on  at  a  uniform 
pace.  Aria  and  I  passed  each  other  several 
times  during  the  afternoon.  At  one  point 
on  the  road  where  the  gaps  between  the  trees 
gave  one  a  view  of  the  surrounding  hills,  we 
saw  three  fine  antelope  with  spirally  twisted 
horns.  These  beautiful  animals  drew  a 
shower  of  bullets  from  the  Abyssinians,  but 


/  TURN  WATCH-DOCTOR.  lor 

as  far  as  I  could  see  they  escaped  unhurt,  A 
march  of  two  hours  and  a  half  brought  me  to 
the  Sabaguma  Plain,  and  as  I  judged  that  my 
escort  would  want  to  go  on  to  their  huts  at 
Ghinda,  I  anounced  my  intention  of  camping 
at  the  former  place  for  the  night.  By  this 
means  I  ridded  myself  of  my  guardians,  who 
accepted  with  alacrity  my  permission  to  pro- 
ceed, after  I  had  prescribed  a  remedy  for  the 
chief's  watch,  which  either  did  not  keep  good 
time  or  would  not  go  at  all.  My  road  from 
Ailet  had  taken  a  southerly  direction.  For 
about  two  miles  the  track  lay  through  bush, 
but  as  Sabagumba  is  reached  this  gives  way 
to  vegetation  of  a  richer  nature.  The  plain  is 
surrounded  by  hills  which  are  well-wooded, 
and  except  during  the  very  dry  season  it  is 
covered  with  long  rich  grass,  and  watered  by 
a  stream  of  fair  size,  picturesquely  hidden, 
and  overhung  with  trees.  The  rapidity  of 
the  change  which  takes  place  in  the  luxuriant 
tropical  belt  which  girds  the  Abyssinian 
mountains  between  the  altitudes  of  i,ooo  and 
6,000  feet,  during  the  months  of  April,  May, 
and    June,    is    very    remarkable.       In    April, 


1 02  THROUGH  AB  YSSINIA. 

when  passing  on  a  previous  journey,  rich 
green  grass  was  abundant,  streams  frequent, 
and  water  plentiful.  Early  in  June,  there  is, 
but  a  little  scorched  orrass  left,  while  the 
streams  have  either  disappeared  entirely  or 
diminished  into  mere  tricklets.  From  these 
it  is  a  work  of  some  moments  to  collect  a 
cupful  of  muddy  liquor  wherewith  to  assuage 
the  parching  thirst  induced  by  a  long,  dusty 
march  in  the  glare  of  the  sun,  which  strikes 
one  both  directly,  and  indirectly  by  refraction 
from  the  torrid  ground.  The  same  spot 
under  these  altered  conditions  is  not  recog- 
nizable. Sabagumba  was  teeming  with 
pigeon,  partridge,  jungle-cock,  and  guinea- 
fowl,  so  I  laid  in  a  stock  for  my  pot,  but 
the  lone  Sfrass  was  wet,  and  drenched  me 
through  waist-high,  which  didn't  matter  after 
all,  as  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents  before 
I  could  reach  my  tent. 

March  t6. — Torrents  of  rain  all  night,  and 
heavy  mist  in  the  morning,  made  it  advisable 
not  to  start  as  early  as  I  should  have  liked  ; 
but,  some  Arabs  passing  with  unoccupied 
oxen,  1  agreed  with   them  to   carry   my  wet 


VARIABLE  WEATHER.  103 

tents  to  Asmara,  by  which  I  freed  two  mules, 
and  so  was  able  to  lighten  my  loads  all  round 
for  the  steep  and  rocky  climb  which  lay 
before  me.  From  Sabaguma  I  reached 
Ginda  in  three  hours  and  seven  minutes. 
The  path,  always  a  trying  one,  was  doubly  so 
as  the  stones  were  very  wet  and  slippery,  and 
a  heavy  rain  continued  to  fall  nearly  all  the 
way.  The  sun  came  out  as  I  reached  Ginda 
so  I  passed  on,  determined  to  get  another 
two  hours'  march  out  of  the  day.  Then  the 
weather  became  miserable  again — heavy 
Scotch  mist  with  occasional  heavy  showers 
continued  till  4  o'clock,  when  I  camped  on 
an  open  space  called  Arigzana.  Everything 
was  very  green,  and  but  for  the  rain,  the 
march  would  have  been  very  pleasant  ;  as  it 
was,  it  was  anything  but  that,  and  I  was  very 
glad  to  get  into  my  tent  and  some  dry  clothes. 
March  17. — At  i  a.m.  I  sent  two  of  my 
men  to  Asmara  to  purchase  grain  and  bring 
it  down  to  meet  me  at  Felagoby,  where  I 
intended  to  halt  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 
At  7.30  I  marched,  but  not  finding  the  grain 
at    the    rendezvous,    I     went    on    over    the 


104  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

Averobe  Pass  to  Mahenzle,  where  we  met 
the  grain  at  11.45  '^^'^  halted,  4^  hours  from 
Arigzana.  From  Mahenzie,  fifty  minutes' 
march  saw  us  at  the  pass  of  that  name,  some- 
times called  the  Asmara  Pass,  and  two  hours 
after  marching  we  arrived  at  the  villasfe  of 
Asmara.  On  arriving,  we  were  conducted 
to  a  spot  where  we  w^ere  told  we  might  make 
our  camp.  Ras  Alula  sent  to  say  that  I  must 
rest  for  the  day  and  come  to  him  on  the 
morrow  ;  he  also  sent  me  an  angareb,  or 
native  bedstead,  and  two  small  carpets  for  my 
tent.  These  articles  of  furniture  are  returned, 
on  leaving,  to  the  guard,  which  is  always 
placed  over  the  camp  of  a  stranger. 
Presents  of  a  cow,  bread,  tedge,  and  other 
articles  of  food  also  arrived.  The  air  at 
Asmara  was  very  dry,  and  in  marked  con- 
trast to  that  experienced  on  the  journey  from 
the  coast.  We  had  had  enough  sun,  how- 
ever, to  chap  my  lips  badly,  and  the  dryness 
of  the  atmosphere  made  them  very  painful. 
Travellers  in  Abyssinia  should  provide  them- 
selves with  some  ointment  to  alleviate  the 
effect  of  th*  hot  sun  and  dry   air.     I   found 


A   GLIMPSE   FROM    THE    MAHENZIE    PASS. 


14 


ASMARA.  107 

vaseline  answer  the  purpose  well.  An  un- 
sightly decoration  on  the  Asmara  Plain  is 
the  headless  body  of  one  of  the  Sheikhs  of 
Kassala,  who  was  killed  by  Ras  Alula's  order, 
hanging  from  a  gibbet  on  a  small  hill,  as  a 
warning  to  the  Mussulmans,  who  Inhabit  or 
may  visit  Asmara,  not  to  join  the  cause  of 
the  MahdI. 

Asmara  is  nothincr  more  than  a  collection 
of  huts  inhabited  almost  entirely  by  the 
soldiers  of  Ras  Alula,  who,  in  addition  to  his 
position  as  generalissimo,  is  also  governor  of 
the  district  of  Tigre.  At  this  place,  however, 
one  receives  one's  first  impressions  of 
Abyssinian  life  and  customs.  The  Ras's  hut 
is  a  fairly  large  erection,  perched,  as  is  usual 
with  the  houses  of  the  chief  men,  on  the 
summit  of  the  highest  hill,  without  any  regard 
either  to  its  accessibility,  or  for  the  feet  of 
those  who  have  to  ascend  to  it.  The  hut  Is 
built  of  poles  intertwined  with  twigs,  after 
the  fashion  of  basket-work,  and  is  thatched. 
Abyssinian  thatching  is  carried  to  a  pitch  of 
great  perfection  which  I  have  never  seen 
excelled  In  any  country. 


io8  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA. 

The  oreneral  height  of  the  Asmara  Plain 
is  7,000  feet.  There  are  no  trees  on  it,  very 
Httle  bush,  and  the  grass  is  of  a  coarse  tufty 
description.  Grain  is  the  only  object  of  cul- 
tivation, and  here,  as  throughout  the  country, 
is  only  cultivated  as  required  to  meet  the 
wants  of  the  immediate  district,  there  being 
no  demand  for  its  export.  Could  such  a 
demand  be  created,  as  it  should  be  by  the 
occupiers  of  Massowah  or  other  ports  on  the 
coast,  the  prosperity  of  the  country  would  be 
very  greatly  increased  ;  for  while  nature  has 
supplied  Abyssinia  with  every  condition 
necessary  to  acquire  agricultural  prosperity, 
man  has  exercised  no  art  to  utilize  the 
resources  of  nature.  Unquestionably,  the 
country  from  its  geographical  position,  com- 
bined with  the  greatly  varying  altitudes  of 
its  face,  is  well  adapted  for  the  production  of 
every  conceivable  vegetable  production,  from 
the  hardiest  cereals  to  the  most  delicate 
growths  of  the  tropics. 

March  18. — In  the  morning  I  visited  Ras 
Alula,  and  presented  the  claymore  sent  by 
Her  Majesty,  and  asked  to  be  sent  on  to  the 


THE  "  BALDERABBA:'  109 

king  quickly  ;  this  the  Ras  consented  to  do. 
In  the  evening  I  paid  a  visit  to  Lij  Fanta,  who 
was  the  "  balderabba "  to  Admiral  Hewett 
when  he  visited  King  Johannis  in  1884. 

It  is  customary  to  appoint  a  balderabba 
to  attend  on  strangers  in  Abyssinia.  This 
official  acts  as  oro-between  in  all  matters  of 
ceremony,  arranges  interviews,  and  is  the 
medium  through  which  all  requests  are  made. 
The  same  custom  exists  among  the  Abyssin- 
ians  themselves,  and  on  parting  from  a  newly- 
made  acquaintance  he  will  usually  ask  you 
to  name  a  balderabba,  who,  on  your  next 
meeting,  may  announce  to  you  the  arrival  of 
your  friend. 

My  balderabba  on  this  occasion  was  Sheleka 
Aria,  Now,  this  person  has  a  reputation  for 
begging,  and  to  gain  such  a  reputation 
amongst  Abyssinians,  the  acquirements  in 
this  respect  must  be  of  a  high  order  indeed. 
To  prevent  the  torrent  of  my  generosity  being 
diverted  from  himself,  Aria  had  ordered  the 
guard  not  to  let  me  leave  the  camp,  and  not 
to  allow  any  one  to  visit  me.  Of  course,  he 
did  not  give  me  any  such  order,  so  I  did  not 


I  lo  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

hesitate  to  visit  our  old  friend,  Lij  Fanta. 
From  the  Lij  I  went  to  see  Sheleka  Aria, 
who,  I  found,  was  furious.  However,  he 
vented  his  rao^e  in  words  which  were  wasted 
on  my  interpreter,  and  to  which,  from  his 
position,  there  was  no  necessity  for  me  to 
pay  any  attention.  To  end  the  story,  Sheleka 
Aria  returned  to  his  camp  at  Ginda,  having 
realized,  I  hope,  that  he  had  adopted  the 
wrong  tactics  by  which  to  obtain  backsheesh 
from  me.  On  my  return  to  the  coast  he  may 
find  it  advisable  to  try  smoothing  me  the 
other  way. 

I  can  see,  however,  that  I  am  not  to  be 
allowed  to  go  on  to  the  king  with  the  amount 
of  despatch  which  I  desire,  and  I  am  virtually 
a  prisoner  with  an  ever-vigilant  guard  over 
me.  The  soldiers  watch  my  movements  and 
report  to  their  officer.  The  latter  is  officious, 
and  exaggerates  his  authority,  far  beyond  what 
I  believe  to  be  the  intention  of  Ras  Alula. 
Meanwhile  I  have  much  official  letter-writing 
to  get  through,  so  I  do  not  feel  my  incarcera- 
tion so  greatly  as  I  should  if  I  wished  to  roam 
or  ride  about  the  country. 


A  B I  'SSINIA  N  LAW  COURTS.  in 

Alarch  19. — This  is  one  of  the  days  on 
which  Ras  Alula  holds  his  judgment  or  court 
of  appeal,  which,  in  all  but  the  form  of  its 
proceedings,  corresponds  to  a  similar  institu- 
tion in  our  own  country.  Those  who  are 
dissatisfied  with  the  judgment  of  lower  courts, 
bring  their  cases  before  a  Ras,  who  confirms 
or  reverses  the  previous  decision.  From  the 
ruling  of  a  Ras,  an  applicant  may  take  his 
case  to  the  king,  and  subsequently  may  even 
demand  to  have  the  law  administered  accord- 
ing to  the  Law  Book  of  the  country.  From 
this  it  may  be  inferred  that  Abyssinian  judges 
do  not  always  administer  justice  according  to 
the  laws  of  the  land.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  judgment  Ras  Alula  sent  for  me.  The 
details  of  our  interview  referred  entirely  to 
the  alleged  aggressions  of  the  Italians  near, 
more  or  less,  to  the  coast. 

March  20. — To-day  I  wished  to  see  Ras 
Alula  with  a  view  to  going  on  to  the  king,  or 
back,  as  might  seem  most  advisable,  but  the 
soldiers  delayed  going  to  my  balderabba  for 
the  necessary  permission,  so  I  woke  them  up 
by  starting  to  go  to  the  Ras.     This  brought 


1 1 2  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

them  to  their  senses,  and  I  got  an  interview 
arranged  for  to-morrow,  as  it  was  too  late 
to-day.  Sheleka  Aria  having  gone  to  Ginda, 
his  son  Avera  acts  in  his  place.  He  is  only 
15,  but  has  a  great  opinion  of  himself,  and 
has  without  doubt  been  instructed  by  his 
father  as  to  his  behaviour  to  me.  He  says 
his  father  is  not  bad  at  heart,  and  only  restricts 
me  for  my  own  good  ;  but  I  know  better.  If 
I  liked  to  mention  this  matter  to  the  Ras  or 
Lij  Fanta,  Sheleka  Aria  would  be  in  hot 
water  ;  but  it  is  not  worth  stirring  up  strife 
about,  though  I  should  like  to  visit  the  caves 
of  Mount  St.  George,  where  there  are  some 
very  old  mummies  in  a  very  good  state  of 
preservation. 

March  21. — I  had  another  interview  to-day 
with  Ras  Alula,  and  wished  to  proceed  to- 
morrow, but  he  said  Tuesday,  as  he  wished 
to  write  letters  on  Monday,  and  knew  I  did 
also.  Their  strict  observance  of  the  Sabbath 
precludes  the  Abyssinians  from  writing  letters 
on  that  day  ! 

March  22. — Avera  sold  us  a  cow  to-day  for 
seven  dollars,  which  Ras  Alula  had  sent  as  a 


VACCINATION.  113 

present  a  few  days  ago,  but  which  the  guard 
had  hidden.  I  find  that  my  servant  has  been 
using  my  very  small  supply  of  tinned  butter 
for  cooking,  with  enough  ghee  or  native 
butter  at  hand  to  fry  all  the  oxen  in  Abyssinia. 
Finished  my  letters,  and  glad  I  am  to  be  rid 
of  them.  Heard  that  Saad  Effendi,  with 
presents  from  the  Egyptian  Government,  is 
close  here,  so  hope  we  shall  travel  to  the 
king  together.  (This  turned  out  to  be 
pure  fiction,  Saad  Effendi  not  having  left 
Massowah.) 

March  23. — Ras  Alula's  judgment  again 
to-day,  which  did  not  finish  till  noon.  Then 
I  found  that  one  of  my  men,  and  a  messenger 
whom  I  had  retained  to  take  letters  to  the 
coast  for  me,  had  been  sentenced  to  imprison- 
ment for  an  offence  which  has  recently  become 
a  most  heinous  one  in  Abyssinia  on  account 
of  the  increased  chances  which  it  gives  for 
the  spread  of  small-pox,  against  which  disease 
great  efforts  are  being  made  by  vaccination. 
This  is  done  from  young  children,  and  the 
operation  is  not  confined  to  the  arm,  as  with 
us,  but  numerous  incisions  are  made  over  the 

15 


1 14  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA. 

body.  Tired  of  delays,  I  sent  my  interpreter 
to  the  Ras  to  obtain  permission  to  go,  to 
arransfe  for  o-uides,  and  to  decide  on  the  route. 
The  kinof  is  said  to  be  at  Burra  Meda,  to  the 
south  of  Lake  Haik,  where  he  has  lately 
built  himself  a  new  palace.  The  shortest 
road  would  have  been  along  the  highlands 
on  the  eastern  frontier,  but  the  Ras  sent 
us  by  a  road  more  inland,  in  order  to 
avoid  passing  through  the  Wojerat  dis- 
trict and  the  adjacent  country,  reported  to 
be  ravaged  by  the  Wollo  Gallas.  He  has 
given  us  three  soldiers,  one  to  accompany 
us  to  the  king,  and  assist  us  generally,  a 
second  as  a  guide  through  the  district  of 
Tigre,  i.e.,  from  the  River  Balasa  to  the  River 
Weri,  and  the  third  as  a  guide  in  Tembien 
until  we  are  delivered  to  Lij  Bru,  who  will 
undertake  our  transmission  to  the  king.  So 
in  the  afternoon  we  made  a  march  of  less 
than  three  hours  to  Averentante,  a  little  short 
of  the  village  of  Addi  Hawisha,  where  Ras 
Alula  used  formerly  to  pitch  his  camp.  It 
was  a  relief  to  be  on  the  march  again,  and  I 
freed  myself  very  cheaply  from  the  crowd  of 


WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES.  115 

begging  people  at  Asmara.  From  Asmara 
to  Averentante,  with  the  exception  of  one 
rugged  and  steep  ravine,  the  road  is  fairly- 
level,  and,  though  stony  in  places,  is  easily 
traversed  by  mules  at  a  walk.  The  Ras  gave 
the  principal  soldier  orders  to  supply  us  with 
thirty  loaves  of  bread  and  one  madega  of 
grain  at  each  village  where  we  should  camp. 
The  madega  is  an  indefinite  and  varying 
quantity.  In  Tigre  it  consists  of  sixteen 
misias,  in  Amhara  of  ten.  But  the  misia  also 
varies  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and 
the  king's  misia  is  double  that  of  the  ordinary 
one.  So  only  by  knowing  the  actual  size  of 
the  misia  at  each  place,  and  the  number  that 
make  the  madega,  could  one  furnish  an  idea 
of  the  contents  of  a  madega  ;  though  in  a 
madega  of  barley  sent  from  the  king  one  gets 
double  the  quantity  received  in  a  measure  of 
the  same  name  from  the  Ras  or  the  headman 
of  a  village. 

March  24.  —  We  left  Averentante  this 
morning,  and  our  path  immediately  took  us 
across  the  bed  of  a  torrent.  Shortly  after- 
wards we  passed  Addy  Hawisha  on  our  left, 


1 16  THRO  UGH  AB  \  'SSINIA. 

situated  at  some  distance  from  the  road,  on  a 
hill.  A  series  of  ravines  are  then  crossed, 
the  levels  of  which,  however,  only  vary  about 
1 20  feet;  there  is  cultivated  land  at  the 
bottom  of  each.  From  the  ravines  we  passed 
to  slightly  undulating  ground,  parts  of  which 
are  cultivated,  while  the  rest  is  overgrown 
with  tufts  of  coarse,  dry  grass.  The  people 
burn  the  grass,  and  this,  after  a  shower  of 
rain,  induces  a  new  and  finer  growth. 

The  village  of  Woghartie  is  passed  to  the 
left  of  the  track.  Opposite  it,  on  the  right, 
is  a  high  red  rock,  on  which  we  saw  a  great 
number  of  large,  long-haired  monkeys,  as  big 
as  small  men.  Froni  Woghartie  the  path 
undulates,  ascending  gradually  till  it  brings 
the  traveller  in  sight  of  the  extensive  Plain 
of  Gura,  across  which  the  paths  are  plainly 
visible.  At  this  point  the  road  takes  a  turn 
to  the  southward.  There  are  two  descents  to 
the  plain,  but  it  is  advisable  to  pass  on  to  the 
further  with  loaded  mules,  as  the  nearer  is 
very  steep  and  difficult,  though  not  quite  im- 
practicable, for  all  my  mules  descended  safely, 
though  in  the  course  of  the  descent  I  found 


GURA  BATTLE-FIELD.  117 

it  advisable  to  dismount.  From  the  bottom, 
the  path  across  the  plain  is  unmistakeable,  as 
it  gradually  develops  into  a  broad,  sandy 
road,  in  consequence  of  being  much  traversed 
by  soldiers.  The  village  of  Gura  is  situated 
on  a  small  hill,  which  can  be  made  out  from  a 
distance  by  two  trees  on  its  summit,  one  up- 
right in  the  middle,  and  the  other  apparently 
falling  over  the  right  or  west  edge  of  the  hill, 
looking  south.  While  traversing  the  plain, 
one  can  see  the  Kyahkhor  Pass  to  the  east- 
ward. It  was  near  here  that  the  Egyptians 
were  routed  in  1878,  when  they  left  their 
forts  to  attack  the  Abyssinians  who  wished  to 
reach  the  water  at  Gura.  During  the  wet 
season  (June — August)  water  is  plentiful  at 
and  near  Gura,  but  during  the  so-called  dry 
season  there  is  only  a  stream  about  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  south-east  of  the  village. 

The  position  of  Gura  is  wrongly  placed  on 
Keith  Johnston's  map,  but  correctly  on  the 
route  map  which  accompanies  the  book  of 
"  Routes  in  Abyssinia,"  compiled  at  the  War 
Office  previous  to  the  expedition  of  1868. 
On  two  other  maps  in  my  possession,  Wyld's 


ii8  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

and  a  German  one,  it  was  not  marked  at 
all.  And  here  I  may  remark  that  only  the 
War  Office  map  was  of  any  use  whatever  to 
me  as  a  route  map  ;  the  others  give  one  a 
general  idea  of  the  positions  of  principal 
towns  and  villages,  sufficiently  accurate  for 
rough  use  or  reference  only. 

We  camped  near  the  water  beyond  Gura, 
on  ground  which  afforded  good  pasture  for 
the  animals. 

On  the  road,  one  of  my  mules  died  of  a 
sickness  which  is  common  amongst  animals 
in  Abyssinia.  I  was  told  that  it  was  caused 
by  a  change  from  low  to  high  land,  and  that 
this  year  many  mules  had  been  lost  from 
it.  The  sickness  commences  by  a  kind  of 
sneezing  cough,  which  gradually  increases  in 
strength  till  spurts  of  white  foam  are  expelled 
from  the  mouth  and  nostrils.  Often  the 
animal  affected  appears  to  become  delirious 
and  turns  round  and  round,  or  walks  back- 
wards, eventually  lying  down  and,  after  a  few 
struggles,  dying.  To  avoid  this  disease  the 
Abyssinian  merchants  frequently  leave  their 
mules  at  Asmara,  and  carry  their   goods  to 


MULE  MORTALITY.  119 

the  coast  on  oxen,  as  they  say  that  the  Plains 
of  Ailet  and  Sabaguma  are  particularly 
dangerous.  This  sickness  amongst  animals 
is  generally  considered  as  a  sign  that  there 
will  be  much  fever  in  the  low  lands  durinsf 
the  summer.  The  Abyssinian  remedy  is  to 
get  a  white  goat  and  make  it  walk  thre€ 
times  round  the  affected  mules.  The  goat  is 
then  killed,  and  pieces  of  its  skin  are  hung 
round  the  neck  of  the  sick  beast,  which  is  sup- 
posed to  become  well  from  the  influence  of  the 
spirit  of  the  goat's  blood.  I  was  not  sufficiently 
superstitious  to  give  this  treatment  a  trial. 
The  soldier  guide,  who  was  to  accompany  us 
to  the  king,  had  not  yet  arrived,  but  through 
the  influence  of  one  of  the  other  two  we 
obtained  supplies  from  the  village.  The 
absentee  had  told  my  interpreter  that  he  was 
going  to  take  his  wife  with  us,  in  order  to 
leave  her  in  his  village  on  the  way  ;  but  I 
saw  at  once  that  this  would  be  a  cause  of 
delay  to  me  if  I  permitted  it  to  be  so. 

March  25. — During  the  night  another  mule 
died,  and  later  in  the  day  a  third  one,  both  of 
which  exhibited  the  symptoms  perceived  in 


1 20  THRO  UGH  A B  YSSINIA . 

the  first.  This  rather  crippled  me,  and  I 
was  obliged  to  delay  marching  till  I  could 
obtain  bullocks  or  porters,  as  my  tents  were 
wet. 

The  soldier  turned  up  to-day  at  noon,  and 
declares  that  the  Ras  ordered  us  to  remain 
last  night  at  Woghartie,  which  would  only 
have  been  two  and  a-half  hours'  march.  This 
is  only  to  cover  his  own  fault  of  not  accom- 
panying us,  as  he  knows  well  that  he  has  no 
right  to  be  delayed  by  his  wife,  who  is  not  in 
a  condition  to  travel  fast.  However,  to  have 
enough  strings  to  my  bow,  I  have  hired,  and 
pressed  into  my  service,  porters  and  bullocks, 
and  should  have  made  a  move,  but  the  rain 
came  down  in  torrents,  with  vivid  lightning 
and  deafening  crashes  of  thunder. 

March  26. — Having  hired  two  bullocks  to 
carry  two  tents,  the  soldier  requisitioned  men 
from  the  village  to  carry  the  other  two.  I 
wished  to  hire  men  whom  I  could  take  with 
me  as  far  as  they  would  come,  or  I  required 
them,  because  pressed  men  only  carry  from 
their  own  village  to  the  next,  and  this  process 
is    very  slow    where    the    villages    are    near, 


AN  OBSTRUCTIVE  GUIDE.  lai 

generally  only  one  stage  being  made  daily. 
But  the  soldier,  who  is  as  obstructive  as  he 
can  be,  will  not  permit  me  to  hire,  and  because 
the  Ras  said  I  was  to  receive  at  each  village 
at  which  I  should  camp,  so  much  bread  and 
grain,  he  wishes  to  construe  that  to  mean  that 
I  am  only  to  go  from  one  village  to  another  in 
a  day,  a  rate  of  travelling  by  which  I  might 
reach  the  kino-  in  twelve  months'  time.  As  I 
would  not  adopt  his  view,  he  went  back  to  the 
village  threatening  to  go  to  Ras  Alula,  but  he 
was  prevailed  upon  by  a  young  chief  not  to 
do  so ;  rather  to  my  regret,  however,  as  I 
knew  that  Ras  Alula  meant  no  such  thing, 
though  the  good  offices  of  the  young  chief 
were  well  intended.  After  a  couple  of  hours' 
exasperating  wrangling  we  at  last  made  a 
start.  I  told  one  of  my  headmen  to  keep 
with  the  soldier  who  had  charge  of  the 
porters  carrying  the  tents.  The  soldier  com- 
menced by  leading  us  out  of  our  way  over  a 
high  hill  in  order  to  reach  the  village  of 
Halibo,  my  oxen  having  taken  a  good  road 
on  the  plain.  So  I  determined  to  leave 
him  to  his  own  devices,  telling  my  man   to 

i6 


122  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

remain  with  him  till  he  could  hire  bullocks  or 
porters  and  follow  me  up. 

From  the  village  of  Halibo,  the  path  which 
we  took  made  a  steep  descent,  and  then  led 
along  the  dry  bed  of  a  stream  for  some  dis- 
tance. After  this  we  ascended  a  rocky  but 
not  severe  incline,  and  again  traversed  the 
bed  of  the  stream,  which  was  very  much  ob- 
structed by  bushes,  till  we  crossed  a  hill  250 
or  300  feet  high.  Then  we  reached  a  plain 
with  shade  and  water,  and  here  we  halted  to 
rest,  near  the  village  of  Zahari.  From  this 
it  will  be  seen  how  much  off  the  direct  line  of 
our  road  we  had  been  brought.  Partridges 
were  plentiful  on  the  plain,  and  I  occupied 
myself  shooting  during  our  halt,  but,  owing 
to  the  undergrowth,  I  met  with  indifferent 
success.  In  the  afternoon  we  resumed  our 
march  under  the  voluntary  guidance  of  one 
of  the  two  remaining  soldiers  who  professed 
to  know  the  road  to  Mount  Tahuila,  which 
I  wished  to  reach  before  dark.  We  were 
warned  to  keep  close  together,  as  the  country 
is  said  to  be  full  of  lions  ;  however,  we 
suffered   no  molestation   from    them.      Soon 


MISLED  AGAIN.  123 

after  leaving  Zahari  we  crossed  two  streams, 
or  b'^nds  of  the  same  stream,  at  an  interval  of 
twenty-five  minutes.  From  the  map,  it  would 
appear  that  these  are  the  rivers  watering 
the  district  of  Guzay  and  the  Mai  Rahya 
respectively.  In  this  case  the  streams  should 
be  shown  closer  one  to  another,  as  we  could 
not  have  crossed  the  three  miles  shown 
between  them,  in  the  above  time. 

The  path  to  Mount  Tahuila  lies  over  a 
plain,  of  which  a  little  is  cultivated,  but  the 
greater  part  is  wilderness.  Near  the  moun- 
tain one  crosses  numerous  low  hills.  At  half- 
past  six  we  halted  on  a  slope  at  the  foot  of 
Tahuila.  But  for  havino  been  miseuided 
during  the  day  we  should  have  reached  it 
earlier.  Our  written  language  is  not  suffi- 
ciently  rich  in  expletives  to  enable  me  to 
express  the  measure  of  exasperation  which  I 
felt  at  these  repeated  misleadings.  None  of 
our  tents  had  come  up  ;  but  as  I  had  no 
intention  of  camping,  rain  or  no  rain,  I  was 
not  sorry  that  they  had  not  ;  so  we  bivou- 
acked, and  put  up  as  best  we  could  with  the 
rain,  thunder,   and   lightning,  which  we  ex- 


1 24  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

perienced  from  about  8  o'clock  till  midnight. 
As  the  rain  beat  down  on  m}'  waterproof 
sheet,  and  leaked  under  it,  converting  the 
ground  on  which  I  was  lying  into  mud,  I 
could  not  help  thinking  of  the  line  in  our 
Harvest  hymn  which  refers  to  "  The  soft, 
refreshing  rain,"  and  the  idea  made  me  laugh 
in  spite  of  my  discomfort.  Tahuila  itself  is 
a  remarkable  freak  of  nature.  It  towers  more 
than  1,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  from  which  it  rises,  with 
the  exception  of  a  low  sloping  base,  almost 
perpendicularly  on  the  south  side,  and  abso- 
lutely so  on  the  north.  On  its  crest  are  one 
or  two  small  trees  ;  but,  as  far  as  we  could 
see,  it  is  tenanted  only  by  the  eagles. 

March  27. — From  Tahuila  to  the  Balasa 
River,  there  stretches  a  desert  plain  which  even 
the  natives  dread  to  cross  by  day  on  account 
of  the  great  heat,  the  country  lying  low.  It  is 
therefore  always  crossed  at  night,  when  two 
or  three  people  arrange  to  travel  in  company, 
as,  singly,  they  fear  the  lions.  Filled  with 
apprehension  as  to  my  own  sufferings,  if  the 
natives  dread  the  plain   so  much,  I   decided 


GROPING  IN  THE  DARK.  125 

to  cross  it  as  far  as  possible  by  night,  and 
was  assured  that  if  I  left  at  5  o'clock  a.m.  I 
should  be  across  two  hours  before  noon. 
This  hardly  agreed  with  my  own  impression 
of  the  distance,  gathered  from  my  map,  so  at 
half-past  one  I  commenced  to  pack  up,  and 
after  an  hour  and  a  half  fumbling  about  in 
the  over-cast  moonlight,  we  made  a  start.  I 
was  resolved  not  to  be  misled  a^ain  if  I  could 
avoid  it,  so  before  starting  I  asked  the  inter- 
preter if  our  guide  was  ready,  &c.,  and  he 
satisfied  me  on  that  point.  Half  an  hour 
later  I  found  the  guide  had  lost  the  track. 
This,  after  yesterday's  experience,  made  me 
furious,  and  I  found  that  the  interpreter  had 
trusted  to  one  of  the  soldiers  whose  district 
only  commenced  at  the  Balasa  River.  How- 
ever, I  found  the  road  myself,  and  managed 
to  stick  to  it  till  daylight.  For  the  guidance 
of  any  one  who  may  follow  me  on  this  road, 
though  I  hope  they  will  be  more  fortunate 
than  myself  in  the  matter  of  guides,  I  may 
say  that  shortly  after  leaving  Tahuila,  a 
village  situated  on  the  hills  to  the  left  of  the 
road  is  passed.      A   short  distance    beyond 


1 26  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA . 

aofain,  the  road,  which  is  broad  and  well- 
defined,  forks.  The  left  branch  follows  the 
base  of  the  hills ;  the  right,  which  should  be 
taken,  leads  at  first  nearly  due  south.  It 
should  be  kept  vigilantly,  or  one  is  apt  to  be 
deflected  from  it  on  to  one  of  the  numerous 
cattle  tracks  which,  traversing  the  plain,  cross 
it  at  all  angles.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
I  had  passed  on  the  east  side  of  Tahuila, 
avoidincr  Haddis  Addi,  which  lies  to  the 
south-west. 

In  the  cool  morning  my  mules  walked 
along  smartly,  I  computed  at  rather  more 
than  3^  miles  an  hour,  as  the  ground  was 
very  level. 

The  Logo  River  was  rather  swollen,  and 
its  water  very  thick  from  the  recent  rain. 
After  the  Logo  we  crossed  the  Tserana,  also 
swollen  and  thick,  and  from  the  high  water- 
mark on  its  bank,  I  judged  that  it  would 
have  been  difficult  to  cross  it  a  few  hours 
earlier. 

At  8  o'clock  I  considered  it  probable  that, 
in  spite  of  the  assurances  I  had  received,  we 
were  destined  to  march  all  day  in  the  sun  if 


A   WILDERNESS  OF  THORNS.  127 

we  wished  to  reach  Balasa  before  night,  and 
as  I  mistrusted  our  guide,  I  decided  to  halt 
to  rest  the  animals.  We  stopped  near  a 
small  hamlet,  tenanted  only  by  herdsmen 
who  have  left  their  villages  to  tend  their 
cattle  in  what  is  at  present  a  bush-covered 
wilderness,  but  which,  in  another  month,  will 
have  been  transformed  into  a  shady  pasture- 
land.  Here  I  had  the  mortification  to  find 
that  we  had  again  been  led  off  the  road.  In 
this  case  the  increase  in  distance  proved  to 
be  very  small,  and  it  is  the  inconvenience  of 
the  thorny  bushes,  through  which  we  came, 
which  causes  two  other  roads,  one  on  either 
side,  to  be  more  .  frequented.  The  heat, 
when  I  marched  again,  certainly  was  con- 
siderable ;  but  I  did  not  think  it  justified  the 
reputation  which  the  plain  has  acquired  as  a 
furnace.  I  engaged  a  local  guide,  and  two 
and  a  half  hours  after  leaving  my  halting- 
place  I  heard  the  welcome  rushing  sound  of 
a  river,  the  Balasa,  and  knew  that  I  could 
now  fix  my  position  with  certainty  in  spite  of 
the  errors  of  my  guides.  So  I  paid  my  local 
guide  and  sent  him  back,  and  determined  to 


128  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

go  on  to  a  village  of  which  my  soldier  guide, 
whose  territory  now  commenced,  told  me. 
From  the  river,  the  path  runs  over  the  spurs 
of  numerous  low  hills,  ascending  gradually. 

At  4  o'clock,  having  marched  for  ten  hours, 
we  reached  a  village  called  Barhweeleh,  near 
the  top  of  the  high  lands  of  Igulla.  This 
village  lies  to  the  east  of  Addi  Hailu,  which 
is  on  another  spur  of  the  same  mountain 
range.  Both  man  and  beast  were  tired,  as 
we  had  marched  seventeen  miles  yesterday 
and  about  twenty-three  to-day,  with  very 
little  sleep  between.  To  my  disgust,  water 
was  scarce,  and  at  first  the  natives  denied  the 
existence  of  any  nearer  than  Balasa,  but  my 
interpreter  saw  two  women  carrying  pitchers, 
and  so  we  discovered  a  well  on  the  hill-side, 
which  supplied  enough  for  the  wants  of  the 
men.      The  mules  had  drunk  at  the  river. 

The  man  who  cooked  for  me  had  been 
ailing  for  some  days,  and  now  he  was  found 
to  be  really  ill.  His  face  was  very  swollen, 
and  his  tongue  had  become  too  large  for  his 
mouth,  and  was  very  awful  to  look  at.  He 
was  also  very  hot,  and  some  of  my  men  said 


MV  COOK  FALLS  LLL.  129 

it  was  fever.  My  old  interpreter,  however, 
feared  small-pox,  and  so  I  had  to  get  him 
lodged  as  comfortably  as  possible  in  a  native 
cabin.  My  experience  of  illness  and  medi- 
cine had  been  so  limited  that  I  was  much 
perplexed  as  to  the  treatment  I  should  adopt. 
The  last  two  days  had  been  full  of  annoy- 
ances and  obstacles,  and  this  small-pox  idea 
was  not  comforting,  especially  as  the  victim 
was  my  cook.  Fever  I  thought  I  could 
manage  with  salts  and  quinine,  as  I  knew 
the  Arab  doctors  do.  No  tents  had  arrived, 
and  I  could  scarcely  keep  my  eyes  open.  So 
I  had  a  hut  swept  out,  and  determined  to 
occupy  it  and  share  it  with  my  interpreter 
and  servant.  However,  I  had  not  arrived  at 
that  stage  of  roughing  it  which  enables  one 
to  sleep  in  the  same  shed  with  cows,  goats, 
and  poultry,  to  say  nothing  of  the  uninviting 
appearance  of  certain  scrofulous  humans,  so 
I  abandoned  my  quarters  and  rigged  a  shelter 
of  tarpaulins  outside  the  wall. 

Alarck  28. — The  rain,  which  threatened 
last  night,  did  not  carry  out  its  threat,  and  we 
all  had  a  good  night's  sleep,  in  which,  from 

17 


I30  THROUGH  A B \ 'SSIXIA . 

7  p.m.  till  6  a.m.  I  did  not  even  dream  of  my 
troubles  ;  and  I  hope  now  that  I  have  come 
to  the  end  of  the  mule  sickness,  and  the 
iq-norance  and  obstructiveness  of  the  guides. 
Travelling  days  are  always  days  of  worry 
more  or  less,  but  so  far  I  think  I  have  had 
more  than  my  share.  Then  there  are  minor 
worries.  Old  Bru  is  getting,  as  he  calls  it, 
"  a  little  deaf,"'  and  so  I  have  to  repeat  every- 
thing two  or  three  times,  which  is  annoying, 
except  when  one  happens  to  be  in  an  un- 
usually heavenly  temper.  My  mule  is  always 
kicking  at  real  or  imaginary  camel  flies,  whicii 
attack  him  in  inaccessible  places,  so  he  gener- 
ally kicks  my  foot  in  his  attempt  to  dislodge 
them,  and  then  bolts  off  if  I  assist  him  with 
my  fly-switch.  He  shies  at  stones,  bushes, 
and  other  very  ordinary  things  on  the  road, 
so  I  suspect  that  he  goes  to  sleep  and  then 
wakes  up  suddenly  and  finds  these  objects 
under  his  nose.  The  mule-drivers  always 
lead  or  drive  their  beasts  through  the  narrow- 
est places  they  can  find,  between  trees  or 
rocks,  and  seem  to  try  to  sweep  the  load  off. 
They  always   put  boxes  upside  down,   with 


FIRING  SORE  BACK'S.  131 

the  locks  against  the  wall  or  fly  of  the  tent. 
They  prefer  to  be  constantly  adjusting  the 
loads  when  on  the  march  to  girthing  tight 
when  loading,  and  if  one  does  not  wish  to 
have  all  the  loads  under  the  bellies  of  the 
mules,  one  must,  for  a  time  at  least,  person- 
ally superintend  the  harnessing  and  loading 
of  each  animal.  While  marching,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  watch  constantly  for  the  appearance 
of  any  chafing,  as  the  Abyssinians  will  allow 
their  mules'  backs  to  be  rubbed  into  a 
hundred  holes  rather  than  take  the  trouble 
to  remedy  the  evil.  Sometimes  when  a 
swelling  appears  they  will  burn  it  in  places, 
and  they  say  doing  so  disperses  the  swelling  ; 
but,  so  far  as  I  can  see  from  those  of  my 
mules  who  have  been  operated  on,  it  does  not 
seem  to  have  a  good  effect,  and  gives  the 
animal  considerable  pain.  So  I  prohibited 
this  burning  ;  but  this  morning  some  of  the 
men  havinof  burnt  two  mules,  I  tied  the  chief 
offender  to  a  tree,  and  put  the  irons  in  the 
fire,  saying  that  I  would  try  burning  his  back 
and  see  if  he  liked  it.  Having  left  him  to 
consider  the    prospect   while    I    finished   my 


132  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

breakfast,  I  let  him  go.  Nearly  every 
animal — horse,  mule,  and  donkey — in  Abys- 
sinia has  a  large  wound  on  its  back,  which 
has  at  some  time  or  another  been  burnt  in 
this  way,  and  the  effect  seems  in  every  case 
to  have  been  to  increase  the  sore.  I  think 
the  treatment  must  be  a  kindred  one  to  that 
of  the  w^hite  goat's  skin. 

As  we  were  about  to  move  off  this  morn- 
ing, the  two  tents  carried  by  bullocks  arrived, 
so  we  took  them  along  with  us  on  the  same 
bullocks.  I  was  also  much  relieved  to  find 
that  my  cook  is  suffering  from  a  disease  less 
serious  than  small-pox,  but  one  which  is  very 
common  amongst  children  in  Abyssinia,  and 
known  as  "  kumho."  After  two  or  three 
days  of  headache  and  fever  on  the  part 
of  the  patient,  pustules,  about  the  size  of 
small  peas,  form  on  either  side  of  the  uvula, 
sometimes  two  or  three  on  each  side  ;  when 
they  have  broken  the  sufferer  rapidly  recovers, 
and  is  generally  quite  w(;ll  in  two  days. 
Sometimes  the  disease  is  fatal  to  the  aged, 
and  very  frequently  so  to  children.  The 
necessary  remedy   having    been    adopted,    I 


THE  WURKEH  TREE.  133 

placed  my  cook  on  a  mule  and  sent  him  on 
quietly  in  charge  of  another  man,  and  then 
went  on  with  the  caravan  for  a  couple  of 
hours  to  Hosha  Guza,  where  I  pitched  my 
two  recovered  tents.  This  short  march  will 
rest  the  animals,  and  to-morrow  I  hope  to 
get  the  other  tents  ;  they  are  very  necessary, 
as,  though  this  is  not  the  rainy  season,  it  has 
rained  ten  nights  out  of  fourteen  since  leav- 
ing Massowah.  From  Barhweeleh  to  Hosha 
Guza  the  path  first  ascends  to  the  Igulla 
Plateau,  where  one  might  camp  in  comfort, 
as  there  are  many  pools  and  plenty  of  grass. 
From  the  plateau,  a  fine  panorama  of  the 
surrounding  country  and  mountain  ranges  is 
obtained.  On  an  adjoining  table-land  is  the 
finest  specimen  of  the  shady  wurkeh  tree 
which  I  have  yet  seen.  Its  branches,  from 
a  single  trunk,  spread  over  more  space  than 
is  covered  by  a  large  banyan  tree.  From  a 
distance  the  shape  of  this  tree  is  like  that  of 
a  large  mushroom,  but  its  outlines  are  more 
mathematical.  I  estimated  that  it  would 
afford  shelter  to  800  men.  Leaving  the 
plateau,   a  rocky  decline  is  descended,  and 


134  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

then  comes  a  corresponding  climb  over  a 
hill,  and  then  another  descent  into  a  valley. 
From  here  the  soldier  guide,  after  a  wrangle 
with  his  colleague  and  my  interpreter,  took 
us  to  the  left,  off  the  direct  line  of  the  road. 
He  stated  that  to-morrow  we  should  go  on  by 
another  path  which  he  pointed  out,  crossing 
a  hill  to  w^hich  he  led  us.  He  declared  that 
this  \vas  also  necessary  in  order  to  intercept 
the  other  soldier  and  my  man,  who  were 
carrying  the  other  tents,  as  they  might  come 
by  another  road.  He  professed  to  be  going 
to  take  us  to  a  point  where  all  the  roads 
crossed ;  so,  with  considerable  misgiving,  I 
followed  him,  my  interpreter  having  fallen  in 
with  his  explanation.  I  w^as  glad  of  the 
luxury  of  a  tent,  though  I  had  only  been 
two  nights  without  one,  and  to  enjoy  a 
change  of  clothing  and  a  bath.  We  also  had 
an  opportunity  of  drying  all  our  wet  gear, 
and,  having  done  so,  down  came  the  rain. 
The  farmers  are  thankful  for  this  advance  on 
their  annual  rains,  but,  as  a  traveller,  I  do 
not  share  their  gratitude. 

March  29. — We  did  not  march  this  morning 


A  CLOUD  A.\D  A  SILVER  L7XIXG.  135 

till  7  o'clock,  as  we  all  overslept  ourselves. 
When  we  started  I  discovered  that  the  soldier 
had  purposely  led  us  off  our  road  for  a  dis- 
tance of  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  and  since 
it  took  me  the  same  time  to  get  on  it  again, 
this  amounted  to  a  loss  of  one  and  a  half 
hours,  leaving  me  only  half  an  hour  to  the 
good,  as  the  result  of  two  hours'  march 
yesterday.  It  is  useless  to  repeat,  time  after 
time,  the  annoying  effect  this  kind  of  thing 
has  on  me.  The  soldier  does  it  in  order  that 
he  may  levy  black  mail  on  the  villages,  which 
I  have  no  doubt  he  does  in  my  name.  On 
this  occasion  it  was  untrue  that  the  roads 
crossed  near  the  village,  and  the  path  over 
the  hill,  which  he  had  pointed  out  as  our 
route,  was  not  it  ;  so  we  had  to  go  back  to 
the  point  where  we  left  the  road  yesterday. 
Besides  this,  my  sick  man,  not  finding  us, 
had  gone  on,  and  did  not  rejoin  us  till  we 
camped  in  the  evening.  However,  the  silver 
lining  of  to-day's  cloud  appeared  with  the 
news  that  the  king  had  left  Bura  Med  a, 
and  was  coniinof  to  Wolfila  Ashanai  to  take 
measures  asrainst  the  Azubo  Gallas. 


J36  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA. 

The  first  part  of  the  road  to-day  was  the 
worst  we  had  yet  traversed,  hardly  excepting 
the  Mahenzie  road  to  Asmara.  The  first 
ascent  and  descent  led  over  slabs  of  rock 
and  into  a  small  valley.  Then  a  climb,  more 
difficult  than  the  first,  over  rolling-  stones, 
brought  us  into  view  of  a  remarkable  conical 
peak  called  Enyene  [i.e.,  wandering  round 
and  round),  which  rises  from  a  small  table- 
land, and  is  most  mathematical  in  its  outline. 
Detached  from  the  western  end  of  the  table- 
land is  Amba  Raina,  on  which  is  built  a 
church.  After  crossing  an  intervening  valley 
the  path  winds  round  the  base  of  the  Amba, 
which  the  traveller  leaves  on  his  left.  The 
road  here  improves  a  little,  and  takes  one  on 
to  a  small  grassy  plain,  where  ends  the  dis- 
trict under  the  control  of  the  headman  of 
Hosha  Guza,  and  where  is  situated  the 
Custom-house.  The  chief  had  accompanied 
us  this  far,  and  so  prevented  any  difficulty 
which  might  have  arisen  with  the  Custom- 
house soldiers  ;  he  also  produced  a  jar  of 
native  beer,  and,  having  refreshed  ourselves, 
we  parted  from  our  Hosha  Guza  friend  and 


IRON  ORE.    A  BEAUTIFUL   VALLEY.         137 

resumed  our  march.  From  the  Custom- 
house we  made  a  short  but  very  steep  and 
rocky  descent  into  a  Httle  valley,  and  then 
up  again  on  the  other  side  ;  in  fact,  for  about 
five  hours  from  Hosha  Guza  one  is  con- 
tinually making  small  ascents  and  descents, 
which  are  fortunately  not  long,  as  they  are 
all  steep  and  rugged.  I  halted  for  two  hours 
in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  soon  after 
marching  reached  the  ravine  through  which 
the  River  Angueya  runs.  Unlike  the  streams 
previously  crossed,  which  were  swollen  and 
muddy  in  consequence  of  the  rains,  the  An- 
gueya was  almost  dry.  Five  and  a  half 
hours  from  Hosha  Guza  it  is  crossed  for  the 
first  time  ;  it  is  crossed  five  times  in  all,  at 
intervals  of  five  minutes.  At  the  fourth 
passage  is  a  high  perpendicular  rock,  which 
contains  good  iron  in  considerable  quantities. 
Leaving  the  river,  the  path  leads  up  a  valley, 
the  length  of  which  is  divided  into  about 
twelve  terraces.  This  valley  narrows  as  it 
ascends,  till  at  its  head  the  pass  is  but  a  few 
feet  in  breadth.  Then  comes  a  descent  and 
a  climb,  from  the  top  of  which   Enyene  is 

18 


1 38  THk  0  UuH  A  B  YSSLMA . 

visible  through  the  pass  at  the  head  of  the 
terraced  valley  ;  following  the  path  for  a  few 
minutes  Amba  Raina  also  becomes  included 
in  the  view.  The  road  now  winds  along  the 
mountain  side  for  some  distance,  and  then 
down  into  the  fertile  country  of  Entitcho, 
which  produces  potatoes.  Seven  hours  and 
three-quarters'  march  from  Hosha  Guza 
brought  us  to  Dagasanuie,  where  I  camped. 
Of  twenty  miles  over  the  ground,  I  estimate 
that  I  have  made  good  fifteen,  and,  con- 
sidering the  badness  of  a  great  part  of  the 
road,  am  well  satisfied. 

Dagasanuie  signifies  "  Monday  market," 
and  to-day  being  Monday  there  were  many 
people  still  assembled,  though  the  market 
had  broken  up.  In  Abyssinia  the  weekly 
market  serves  the  purpose  of  post,  telegraph, 
and  newbpaper,  for  to  market,  in  addition 
to  their  wares,  people  bring  all  the  news, 
gossip,  and  scandal  of  their  neighbourhood. 
The  king's  proclamations  become  known 
over  the  country  by  this  medium.  On  the 
following  day,  the  inhabitants  of  the  village 
at  which  a  market  has  been  held,  go  in  their 


THE  SCAXDAL  MARKET.  139 

turn  to  the  market  of  the  next  village, 
carrying  with  them  the  accumulated  news, 
which  in  this  way  is  carried  throughout  the 
country.  We  know  that  news  grows  as  it  goes, 
and  from  stories  I  have  heard  I  fancy  that 
Abyssinia  is  no  exception  to  this  rule.  How- 
ever, at  Dagasanuie  we  received  confirmatory 
news  as  to  the  king's  movements,  which 
made  it  likely  that  we  should  shortly  have 
lo  change  our  route.  From  our  encampment 
Arnba  Awga  bore  east.  Two  fine  v/ild  geese 
were  strutting  about  within  thirty  yards  of 
my  tent,  but,  as  ill  luck  had  it,  I  had  lent  my 
gun  to  one  of  my  men,  who  soon  afterwards 
returned  with  a  wretched  little  pigeon,  almost 
knocked  to  pieces  by  the  shot. 

March  30. — I  particularly  wished  to  make 
an  early  start  this  morning,  but  did  not  get 
away  till  a  quarter  to  8,  as  I  was  delayed 
by  visits  from  chiefs  and  others,  who  brought 
presents  of  honey,  bread,  and  so  forth.  I 
thought  to  get  rid  of  them  by  giving  them 
a  box  of  cartridges,  which  they  accepted  and 
took  away.  Soon  they  returned,  and  begged 
that  I  would  give  them  money  instead.     So 


1 40  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSIXIA . 

I  had  to  cjive  five  dollars  in  addition,  and 
then  got  away  with  my  three  zinc  pails  full 
of  honey,  as  one  is  always  obliged  to  return 
the  jars  or  gombos,  in  which  the  honey  or 
tedge,  as  the  case  may  be,  arrives.  From 
Dacrasanuie  to  the  south,  there  are  two  roads 
between  which  to  choose — one  leading  away 
at  first  in  a  south-west  direction,  and  the 
other  about  south.  I  was  told  that  the  former 
is  very  stony,  with  very  many  ascents  and 
descents,  and  was  advised  to  choose  the 
latter,  which  I  did.  We  commenced  by  a 
climb  of  750  feet  up  the  very  steep  side  of  a 
very  rocky  mountain,  and  had  it  been  at  the 
end  instead  of  at  the  beginning  of  our  day's 
march,  I  am  confident  that  many  of  the 
animals  would  have  been  unable  to  accom- 
plish it.  On  the  table-land  which  is  then 
reached,  every  little  scrap  of  land  is  under 
the  plough.  The  ascent  to  another  ledge, 
about  150  feet  above,  is  then  made,  and  from 
there  a  very  fine  view  of  the  surrounding 
country  is  obtained,  from  Senafe  on  the  east, 
to  the  south  end  of  Addi  Huala  on  the  west. 
A  somewhat  precipitous  descent  of  600  feet 


^fAP  VERSUS  GUIDE.  141 

is  made,  after  which  the  decHne  to  the  plain 
and  valley  watered  by  the  Feras  Mai  is 
gradual.  Feras  Mai  means  Horse  River, 
i.e.,  swift-running  river,  but  at  this  time  we 
found  it  nearly  dry.  We  reached  it  in  four 
and  a  half  hours  from  Dagasanuie,  and  then 
halted.  On  resuming  our  march  the  path 
diverged  from  the  bed  of  the  stream  and 
crossed  the  abutting  spurs  of  Ambas  Ha- 
heileh,  Saneyti,  and  Tsedia.  The  first-named 
is  probably  that  shown  on  the  War  Depart- 
ment map  as  Amba  Kwalhatze,  but  I  was' 
unable  to  identify  it  under  that  name.  The 
track  winds  round  Tsedia  to  the  left,  and 
in  a  valley  under  the  mountain  I  camped  for 
the  night.  During  the  forenoon,  the  guide 
ao^ain  tried  to  lead  us  over  some  hills  to 
a  village,  where  he  wished  to  halt  in  the 
middle  of  the  day.  I  refused  to  be  led,  and 
took  my  caravan  by  the  path  over  the  plain, 
which  from  my  map  and  compass  I  felt  sure 
was  the  right  one.  On  several  occasions  my 
map  indicated  other  tracks  than  those  by 
which  the  soldiers  led  us,  and  when  I  remon- 
strated  with   them    they  pleaded   ignorance 


142  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

or  denied  the  existence  of  such  paths,  though 
often  I  had  the  writincrs  of  former  travellers 

o 

to  assure  me.  This  led  me  to  the  conviction 
that  the  soldiers  only  know  the  king's  road, 
by  which  they  are  accustomed  to  march. 
Having  once  or  twice  proved  the  soldiers 
to  be  in  the  wrong,  I  induced  them  to  inquire 
c.t  villages  for  the  paths  usually  traversed  by 
the  natives,  a  course  which  would  naturally 
be  adopted  by  a  traveller  proceeding  through 
the  country  unofficially,  and  without  the 
doubtful  assistance  of  the  soldiers.  Even- 
tually I  taught  my  guides  that,  as  I  carried 
provisions  and  tanks,  I  could  supply  myself 
with  food,  foraofe,  and  water  whenever  neces- 
sary,  and  so  prevent  the  loss  of  time  incurred 
by  having  to  leave  the  road  to  camp  at  ah 
off-lying  village,  in  order  to  obtain  those 
necessaries. 

March  31. — To-day,  again,  we  commenced 
our  march  with  a  steep  and  rugged,  though 
not  very  long,  climb,  which  brought  us  upon 
the  table-land  of  Tsai.  Soon  after,  when  we 
arrived  at  the  spot  where  the  Adowa-Hawzen 
road  crosses,  we  parted  from  our  Tigre  soldier 


SELF  VERSUS  MAP.  143 

guide,  and  I  experienced  a  feeling  of  relief  as 
I  sent  him  away  and  commenced  afresh  with 
the  soldier  who  would  guide  us  through 
Tembien,  and  deliver  us  to  the  care  of  Lij 
Bru,  the  Governor  of  that  province. 

I  cannot  in  all  cases  reconcile  my  own 
observations  w^ith  the  positions  of  certain 
mountains,  villages,  or  roads  as  laid  down  in 
the  map  which  accompanies  "  Routes  in 
Abyssinia  ;  "  though,  as  a  rule,  I  have  found 
that  compilation  marvellously  accurate,  con- 
sidering the  rough  material  from  which  it 
was  drawn  up.  Thus  I  made  the  Adowa- 
Hawzen  road  cross  that  from  Entitcho  to 
Gullibudda  to  the  south  of  Tsedia,  and  not. 
through  or  to  the  north,  as  shown.  This  I 
think  is  due  to  Tsedia  being  placed  too  far 
south  ;  it  adjoins  Saneyti,  being  closer  to  it 
than  appears  from  the  map. 

In  Tsai  there  is  much  land  under  cultiva- 
tion, and  several  villages  :  the  road  passes 
through  that  of  Mohundillo,  which  is  situated 
on  the  south  side  of  a  small  valley,  about  an 
hour  and  three-quarters  after  reaching  the 
table-land. 


1 44  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA . 

For  three  hours  In  the  middle  of  the  day 
we  halted  on  the  edge  of  the  descent  to  the 
plain  watered  by  the  Weri  River.  The 
descent,  for  a  short  distance,  is  very  precipi- 
tous, but  the  path  afterwards  winds  over  a 
level  plain.  Having  crossed  the  plain,  one 
comes  suddenly  on  a  sluggish  stream  com- 
pletely hidden  by  trees;  after  which  some  low 
hills  strewn  with  white  quartz  are  reached. 
Half  an  hour  from  the  last  stream  brings  one 
to  the  Weri.  When  I  arrived  on  the  bank 
most  of  my  caravan  had  already  crossed  the 
stream,  and  the  people  on  the  other  side  were 
shoutino"  to  hasten  the  rest  of  us.  It  had 
been  raining  heavily  for  about  an  hour,  so  I 
knew  at  once  the  cause  of  the  consternation, 
and  hurried  across.  On  reaching  the  oppo- 
site bank  1  came  suddenly  upon  a  small 
tributary  of  the  river,  down  the  hitherto  dry 
bed  of  which  a  considerable  body  of  water 
was  advancing  to  the  main  stream,  increasing 
in  volume  every  moment.  We  all  crossed 
before  the  water  had  gathered  enough  force 
to  make  the  stream  dangerous,  but  the  inci- 
dent,   and   our  subsequent   march    over   the 


A  DANGEROUS  TORRENT.  145 

land  which  this  stream  drains,  gave  me  a 
good  idea  of  the  rapidity  and  force  with  which 
these  Abyssinian  torrents  accumulate  their 
water  after  even  a  little  rain. 

From  the  Weri  River  one  climbs,  by  an 
easy  ascent,  the  side  of  the  range  of  hills  on 
the  top  of  which  Gullibudda  is  situated.  If 
not  desirous  of  halting  at,  or  passing  through, 
Gullibudda,  the  hills  may  be  avoided  by 
following  a  path  which  keeps  to  the  plain,  to 
the  west  of  the  range.  Though  the  road 
passes  through  land  which  in  the  distance 
appears  fertile,  I  was  told  that  there  are  no 
villages  near  the  track,  and  that  the  lowland 
was  productive  of  fever.  These  reasons, 
though  they  diverted  me  from  passing  a 
night  on  the  plain,  should  not  prevent  the 
road  being  used  for  a  march  during  the  day, 
when  supplies  are  not  required.  At  this 
time  of  the  year  the  distant  view  of  a 
country  is  very  deceptive.  The  bright, 
fresh  orreen  of  the  budding;  acacias  orives  to  a 
plain  an  appearance  of  great  fertility,  which 
is  very  disappointing  on  a  nearer  approach, 
the    miles    of    acacias    throuo-h    which    one 

19 


146  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

passes  in  Abyssinia  being  very  wearying. 
From  the  villao^e  of  Gullibudda  one  has  a 
fine  view  across  the  plain  to  high  mountain 
ranges  of  Geralta  and  Tembien. 

April  I. — Descending  easily  from  Gulli- 
budda to  the  plain,  the  path  leads  in  a  south- 
westerly direction  towards  a  conspicuous  gap 
between  the  Tembien  range  to  the  left  and 
a  mountain  crowned  by  two  Ambas  to  the 
right.  The  left  Amba  is  Svandas,  the  right 
Wurk'amba,  and  between  the  two  is  a  church 
which  shows  up  white  in  the  sunlight.  There 
is  a  somewhat  similar  double-headed  moun- 
tain, called  Karara,  near  the  west  end  of  the 
Tembien  range,  but  the  path  tends  always  in 
the  direction  of  the  low  gap,  which  is  a  good 
landmark  for  the  traveller.  Two  hours  from 
Gullibudda  the  village  of  Selkin,  situated  on 
a  hill  to  the  north  of  the  road,  the  residence 
of  Lij  Bru,  Governor  of  Tembien,  is  passed. 
The  plain  is  well  watered  and  very  fertile, 
producing  great  abundance  of  red  pepper  ; 
many  fine  trees  are  scattered  over  it,  chiefly 
the  wurkeh,  mewmen,  and  large  acacias, 
which  are  now  putting  forth  their  pink,  white, 


THE  STATE  PRISON.  147 

and   yellow   blossoms.      Having   crossed  the 
plain  and  arrived  near  the  foot  of  the  Tembien 
range,  one  passes  close  to  Endabba  Salama, 
or  Amba  Salama.      In  the  War  Department 
map    this    mountain  is    placed   close    to    the 
Weri    River,    whereas    it    is    really    situated 
under  the  mountains  on  the  other  side  of  the 
plain,  about  eight  and  a  half  miles  south-west. 
It  is  by  no  means  conspicuous,  being  hidden 
in  a  recess  formed  by  the  high  table-land  at 
the  back,  and  two  hills,  the  bases  of  which 
almost  meet  in  the  foreground.     This  will  be 
seen    from    the    sketch    which    accompanied 
Gordon  Pasha's  account  of  his  visit  to  King 
Johannis  in  1879,  though  he  passed  the  Amba 
by  the  hill  road,  i.e.,  to  the  south,  while  I 
passed  it  on  the  north.    Bearing  about  south- 
east the  Amba  is  in  full  view,  but  following 
the  path  it  soon  becomes  shut  in  by  three  low, 
round-topped    hills    in   the   near  foreground, 
and  is  not  ag^ain  visible.      I   mention  this  at 
length,  because  the  incorrect  position  of  the 
Amba,    shown  as    a    mountain    standing  by 
itself  on  the  Weri  River,  is  most  misleading, 
and  would  have  lost  me  nearly  a  day's  march 


1 48  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA . 

had  I  not  had  a  guide  with  me.  The  two 
surviving  sons  of  Theodore,  and  Waled-el- 
Mikael,  are  at  present  prisoners,  with  others, 
on  the  Amba. 

I  halted  in  the  middle  of  the  day  at  Wulla- 
gussie,  a  lovely  spot  at  the  foot  of  the  Tem- 
bien  hills,  and  in  the  gap  between  them  and 
Svandas.  Here  there  is  good  water,  the  last 
before  reaching  Takherakira.  In  a  hollow 
under  the  hills  is  a  spring,  resorted  to  by  the 
sick ;  a  shrine  and  church  are  also  attached  to 
it,  and  receive  considerable  contributions  from 
those  who  seek  to  be  cured  at  the  waters. 

While  halted,  Kassa,  whom  I  had  left  at 
Gura  to  accompany  the  soldier  who  was 
carrying  my  two  tents,  rejoined  us.  He 
reported  that  he  had  accompanied  the  soldier 
for  some  days  and  wished  to  hire  bullocks  or 
mules  to  bring  on  the  tents,  but  the  soldier 
invariably  adjured  him  in  the  name  of  the 
king  not  to  do  so,  and  insisted  on  continuing 
to  carry  them  from  village  to  village.  Kassa 
therefore  left  him  and  hastened  on  to  overtake 
me.  Soon  after  he  had  parted  from  me  at 
Gura  his  mule  became  very  ill,  and   he  ex- 


KASSA  MEETS  A  LION.  149 

pected  It  to  die.  As  a  last  resource  he  tried 
the  goatskin  treatment,  with  the  result  that 
the  mule  recovered,  and  in  two  days  he  was 
able  to  ride  it.  This  miraculous  cure  did  not 
however  convince  me.  The  mules  all  con- 
tracted the  same  disease  at  the  same  time, 
and  those  to  which  it  proved  fatal  all  died 
within  a  few  hours  of  each  other.  Several' 
others  were  attacked  less  severely,  and  all 
recovered,  as  was  the  case  with  Kassa's. 

Kassa  and  his  party  of  carriers  had  en- 
countered a  lion  when  passing  through  the 
district  near  Mount  Tahuila,  He  told  me 
that  he  was  riding  a  short  distance  in  advance 
of  the  others,  when  he  saw  a  lion  standing 
and  looking  at  him.  He  pulled  up  and  looked 
at  the  lion,  his  mule  being  very  uneasy,  and 
shouted  to  the  others  to  come  up  with  a  rifle. 
This  they  did,  and  the  lion  ran  away  ! 

On  resuming  our  march,  the  fertile  country 
traversed  in  the  morning  suddenly  gave  place 
to  sandy  desert,  covered  with  mimosa  and 
acacia.  A  very  gradual  ascent  is  made  to 
the  foot  of  the  mountain  of  Takherakira, 
whence  the  road  becomes  rocky,  but  not  very 


r  50  THRO  UGH  A  B }  'S  SIN  I  A . 

difficult.  We  passed  through  the  large 
villages  of  Takherakira  and  Ad'Abergullie, 
and,  turning  abruptly  to  the  left,  round  the 
foot  of  the  overhanging  rocks,  we  arrived  at 
Abbi  Addy. 

For  two  hours  the  clouds  had  been  pouring 
forth  a  deluge  of  rain,  which  flooded  the 
paths  and  formed  rivulets  and  little  torrents 
between  every  rock,  rendering  the  ground  so 
greasy  and  slippery  as  to  make  it  most  diffi- 
cult for  the  mules  to  hold  their  footing.  We 
were,  therefore,  glad  to  camp  under  a  large 
wurkeh  tree  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village, 
and  to  do  what  we  could  to  dry  and  warm 
ourselves,  as  the  rain  had  made  us  very  cold. 
The  crashing  echoes  of  the  thunder  as  it 
pealed  through  the  high  cleft  rocks,  which 
surrounded  us  on  three  sides,  would  certainly 
have  deafened  me  had  I  not  been  to  a  certain 
extent  habituated  to  such  noises  by  the  dis- 
charge of  heavy  guns  on  board  ship. 

Lij  Bru  is  at  present  absent  from  his  usual 
residence,  superintending  the  building  of  a 
church  at  Mefta,  the  native  place  of  the 
king's  father;  but  Belata  Kidano,  his  deputy, 


A  DAY'S  REST.  151 

is  acting  for  him,  and  seems  very  kindly  dis- 
posed towards  us.  We  shall  have  to  wait 
here  till  Sunday,  in  order  to  obtain  information 
as  to  the  king's  movements  from  the  people 
who  will  attend  the  market  on  Saturday.  If 
it  turn  out  to  be  true  that  the  king  is  near 
the  lake,  we  shall  be  sent  by  way  of  Antalo, 
which,  I  am  told,  is  a  good  road. 

April  2. — The  sunny  part  of  the  day 
afforded  us  an  opportunity  of  drying  our 
soaked  baggage  and  clothing.  Of  course, 
everything  is  so  packed  as  to  be  practically 
free  from  harm  by  rain  ;  but  boxes  will  leak 
a  little  after  the  banging  about  they  get  on  a 
journey  like  this,  and  skins  retain  the  damp, 
so  it  is  always  a  comfort  to  be  able  to  expose 
clothes  and  bedding  to  the  sun  for  a  few 
hours.  The  halt  is  also  acceptable  to  me,  as 
it  gives  me  time  to  reduce  to  a  more  legible 
form  the  rough  notes,  which  I  make  in  my 
pocket-book  as  my  mule  jogs  along,  and 
which,  from  the  mere  fact  of  his  so  jogging, 
remain  legible,  even  to  me,  only  so  long  as 
they  are  tolerably  fresh  in  my  memory.  I 
am  able  also  to  copy  the  entries  in  my  rough 


1 52  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA . 

cash-book,  to  balance  my  cash,  and  to  do 
many  other  things  which  have  to  be  neglected 
when  one  marches  ten  hours,  and  rests  two, 
out  of  the  twelve  hours  of  daylight.  Having 
adjusted  my  affairs,  I  can  sit  and  drink  tedge 
with  my  visitors  with  an  unclouded  conscience, 
and  without  wishing  them  away,  as  one  is 
apt  to  do  when  preoccupied. 

Api'il  3. — Definite  news  was  obtained  in 
the  market  to-day  that  the  apparel  of  the 
King's  Court  has  reached  Zobul,  on  the  east 
of  the  Lake  Ashangi,  so  I  leave  to-morrow 
for  Antalo  and  the  lake,  and  hope  to  reach 
my  journey's  end  this  day  week. 

I  paid  a  visit  to  the  market,  which  is  held 
in  a  convenient  open  space  inside  the  village. 
Some  thousands  of  people  were  assembled 
from  all  the  neighbouring  villages  and  dis- 
tricts, and  the  babel  of  their  voices  at  a 
distance,  sounded  like  the  hum  of  a  large 
mill-wheel.  There  was  nothing  very  attrac- 
tive for  sale,  and  though  I  bought  some 
Abyssinian  jewellery,  it  was  not  of  such  good 
workmanship  as  I  have  found  at  Adowa. 
"Amoles,"   or  bars  of  salt,  from    the    plain 


COPPER   ECCLESIASTICAL  CROSS. 
20 


TRADE  GOODS.  1.55 

between  Abyssinia  and  the  coast,  were  being 
sold  at  the  rate  of  thirty  for  the  dollar ;  un- 
bleached cotton  goods,  from  the  Colaba  mills 
at  Bombay,  twenty  kints  per  dollar  ;  "  superior 
shirting,"   whereof  the   Pyramids  and   some 
camels  form  the  trade  mark,  fifteen  kints  to 
the  dollar.     The  kint  is  the  measure  from  the 
elbow  to  the  tip  of  the  finger.     One  washing 
would    convert    the    superior   shirting    into 
inferior    mosquito     netting,    as     the     fabric 
appears  to  consist  of  a  few  threads    placed 
at  right  angles,  and  held  together  by  white 
starch,    or   some    similar    composition.       In- 
cense was  sold   at  the   rate  of  two  dollars' 
weight   for   one    bar   of  salt.      There    were 
many  other  articles,  some  of  the  "  utile  "  and 
others  of  the  "  dulce  "  order.     Shammas,  the 
national    toga,    from    three    to    five   dollars, 
country-made    cloth,    very    superior   to    that 
imported,    grain,     flour,    linseed,     antimony, 
ginger,   red    peppers,    soap    plant,   the   plant 
called  cheyna  addam,  from  which  absinthe  is 
made,  jewellery,    and    little  French  mirrors, 
are  a  few  of  the  representatives  of  each  class. 
Manchester  goods  are  chiefly  represented  in 


156  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

this  country  by  the  manufactures  of  Messrs, 
Tabbush,  of  that  city,  and  since  I  have  seen 
the  class  of  goods  which  finds  its  way  here 
from  England,  I  have  ceased  to  think  so 
badly  as  I  once  did  of  the  low-class  Greek 
traders  who  supply  the  king  with  arms 
having  barrels  of  the  gaspipe  order.  Besides 
deriving  much  entertainment  from  what  I 
saw  in  the  market,  I  was  the  cause  of  a  con- 
siderable amount  myself,  especially  to  the 
younger  members  of  the  community,  who 
had  never  previously  seen  a  "  feringhee."  At 
my  first  approach,  shoals  of  little  boys  and 
girls,  and  not  a  few  young  ladies,  took  refuge 
in  flight,  but  becoming  reassured  by  my 
pacific  behaviour,  they  returned  for  a  closer 
scrutiny. 

At  9  o'clock  I  was  awakened  by  my  inter- 
preter asking  me  for  ammonia.  Unfortu- 
nately I  had  not  provided  myself  with  any, 
for  I  did  not  know  its  medicinal  value.  The 
interpreter,  when  about  to  go  to  sleep  in 
his  tent,  had  been  bitten  by  a  snake  on  the 
finger.  The  snake  had  been  killed,  and  its 
head  so  destroyed  that  I  was  unable  to  see 


BRU  SNAKE-BITTEN.  157 

whether  it  was  of  a  poisonous  description, 
but  was  told  that  its  bite  was  nearly  always 
fatal.  The  natives  professed  to  know  how 
to  treat  the  wound,  and  as  I  had  no  idea  how 
to  do  so,  I  left  the  sufferer  in  their  care  with 
confidence,  after  seeing  tremendous  emetics 
of  honey  and  water  administered  with  suc- 
cessful results,  and  went  back  to  bed. 

Api'il  4. — My  first  care  this  morning  was 
to  find  out  how  the  snake-bitten  patient  was. 
I  was  sorry  to  find  him  so  bad  as  to  preclude 
any  possibility  of  moving  him  during  the 
day,  so  I  was  obliged  to  give  up  marching. 
The  native  treatment,  in  which  I  had  placed 
so  much  confidence,  had  wrought  evil  instead 
of  good,  which  did  not  surprise  me  when  I 
inquired  into  the  remedies  which  had  been 
adopted.  Besides  the  emetics,  which  were 
administered  to  prevent  the  poison  reaching 
the  stomach,  precautions  had  also  been  taken 
to  keep  it  from  entering  the  heart.  Cords 
had  been  tied  tighdy  round  the  wrist,  the 
forearm  close  to  the  elbow,  and  near  the 
shoulder.  The  bite  had  been  cut  about 
roughly  with  a  razor,  and  burnt  in  the  fire, 


1 58  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

and  the  back  of  the  hand  had  been  snicked 
in  fifty  places  to  draw  off  the  poisoned  blood. 
The  patient  had  spent  a  sleepless  night, 
which  he  had  occupied  in  chewing  the  leaves 
and  sticks  of  various  herbs  ;  as  a  result,  he 
was  moaning  piteously  and  appeared  in  great 
pain,  while  his  arm  and  hand  were  swollen 
tremendously,  except  where  confined  by  two 
rings  on  the  bitten  finger,  and  the  bindings 
already  mentioned  on  the  arm.  I  thought  I 
could  not  make  matters  much  worse,  so  I 
induced  the  old  man  to  let  me  remove  the 
lashings  from  his  arm,  at  the  risk  of  letting 
the  poison  go  to  the  heart.  The  native 
silversmith  being  unable  to  get  the  rings  off, 
I  made  a  fine  saw  out  of  a  sailor's  knife,  and 
thereby  removed  them.  Then  I  bathed  the 
arm  and  hand  in  hot  water,  and  applied  a 
linseed  poultice  to  the  bite,  and  very  soon  I 
succeeded  in  reducing  the  swelling  and 
putting  the  patient  out  of  pain.  In  future 
I  shall  trust  to  my  own  ignorance  rather  than 
to  the  wisdom  of  the  natives. 

Although    I   have   rather  enjoyed  my  en- 
forced   rest    at    Abbi  Addy,    1   hope  not   to 


ABBI-ADDV.  159 

prolong  it  beyond  to-morrow  morning.  The 
village  is  nicely  situated  in  a  horseshoe 
formed  by  the  hills  of  Takherakira,  which 
shelter  it  from  the  east.  These  hills  are 
formed  of  red  rock,  which  appears  to  be 
quite  bare  of  earth  ;  notwithstanding  this, 
they  are  covered  with  trees  and  verdure. 
The  roots  of  the  former  can  be  seen  climbino- 
up  the  open  crevices  in  the  rock  for  many 
feet  before  they  emerge  to  form  the  stem  or 
trunk.  The  bright,  fresh,  green  of  the  leaves 
contrasts  effectively  with  the  red  colour  of  the 
ground,  and  the  view  from  our  camp  is  the 
prettiest  picture  by  far  which  I  have  yet  seen 
in  Abyssinia. 

To  the  south-west  stretches  an  undulating 
plain,  across  which  the  high  but  distant 
mountains  of  Semien  are  visible  when  they 
are  not  being  deluged  with  rain.  An  exten- 
sive, almost  boundless,  plain  is  tedious  as  a 
view,  even  when  one  has  not  to  traverse  it ; 
but  here  nature  seems  to  have  limited  the 
landscape  so  judiciously  that,  in  whatever 
direction  one  looks,  the  eye  is  pleased,  and 
able   to  enjoy  the   sight  of  objects  so  well 


i6o  THROUGH  AB 1  ^SSINIA. 

placed  within  its  range.  Behind  my  tent,  the 
rock  is  cleft  into  strange  natural  columns, 
that  resemble  the  ruined  pillars  of  some 
gigantic  temple.  These  strike  me,  even 
after  travelling  through  a  country  in  which 
nothing  is  more  remarkable  than  the  fantastic 
way  in  which  nature  has  built  and  piled  the 
stones  one  on  the  other,  and  I  almost  cease 
to  marvel  at  the  wonders  of  Stonehenge  and 
even  the  PyramJds. 

April  5. — During  the  night  our  obstructive 
soldier  arrived,   but  without  my  tents.      He 
carried    them    through    two    villages    after 
Kassa    left   him,    and    then    the    people    of 
Samyta  refused  to  carry   for    him.       He    is 
evidently  much  afraid  of  the  possible  conse- 
quences to  himself,  but  tries  to  brazen  it  out, 
and  abuses  us  for  going  on  and  making  long 
marches,  instead  of  proceeding   day  by  day 
from  village  to  village,  as,   he  declares,   we 
were   ordered    to    do.       This    morning    he 
solemnly    adjured    us,    by    the    back    of   the 
king,  not  to  leave  Abbi  Addy,  but,  of  course, 
I  laughed  at  his  adjurations,  and  pushed  on 
my    preparations    for    marching    the    more 


OBSTRUCTION  OVERCOME.  i6i 

rapidly.  Seeing  this  he  gave  in,  and  then 
insisted  on  our  going  by  way  of  Sokota,  but 
this,  of  course,  I  had  no  intention  of  doing, 
knowing  that  the  king  was  near  Ashangi, 
and,  backed  up  by  the  chief  of  the  village, 
Belata  Kidano,  I  made  him  concede  this 
point  also,  though  I  should  not  have  been 
influenced  had  he  not  done  so.  No.  3 
soldier,  having  discharged  his  duty,  left  us 
here,  and  the  obstructive  one  now  recom- 
menced his  guidance. 

On  leaving  Abbi  Addy,  the  path  leads  at 
first  over  fairly  level  ground,  till  a  deep 
valley  is  reached  ;  after  which  a  succession  of 
stony  valleys  brought  us  to  the  top  of  a 
descent,  from  which  we  had  a  view  of  the 
mountains  of  Saharte  to  the  south-east,  and 
the  highlands  of  Tembien,  now  fast  being 
left  behind,  to  the  east.  Between  the  two, 
the  path  to  Antalo  passes.  We  then  de- 
scended to  the  plain,  and  passed  on  our  left 
the  village  of  Shirha  Berawa,  situated  on  the 
slope  of  the  hills. 

This  village  belongs  to  the  Church,  and 
possesses  extensive  fruit  gardens,  which  pro- 

21 


i62  THROUGH  AB YSSINIA. 

duce  chiefly  bananas  and  the  teringo.  The 
latter  is  to  outward  appearance  Hke  a  shad- 
dock, and  smells  like  a  lemon.  The  interior 
and  its  taste  I  can  compare  to  no  other  fruit 
with  which  I  am  acquainted.  The  birth- 
place of  Ras  Alula  is  on  this  plain,  which  is 
situated  at  a  lower  level  than  we  have  de- 
scended to  since  our  first  ascent  from  the 
coast,  but  the  bed  of  the  Gueba  River  which 
we  are  approaching  is  still  lower.  Four 
hours  from  Abbi  Addy  we  crossed  a  stream, 
on  the  south  bank  of  which  is  a  quantity  of 
curious  stone,  veined  with  a  hard  white 
quartz  or  marble,  which  has  resisted  the 
action  of  the  weather  better  than  the  stone 
in  which  it  is  embedded,  and  now  stands  out 
in  bold  relief,  the  veins  crossing  each  other 
in  every  direction. 

An  hour  before  midday  we  halted  at 
Debukh,  on  the  edge  of  the  valley  drained 
by  the  Gueba.  We  had  been  accompanied 
so  far  by  Belata  Kidano,  and  he  now  pro- 
ceeded to  a  village  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river  to  procure  us  a  guide.  This  chief 
showed  us  more  hospitality  while  we  were 


A  FRIENDL  V  CHIEF.  163 

at  Abbi  Addy,  than  we  had  hitherto  re- 
ceived ;  he  was  also  most  assiduous  in 
obtaining  reHable  information  as  to  the 
movements  of  the  king,  and  I  gave  him 
a  well-deserved  present  with  more  than 
ordinary  willingness,  because  he  had  done 
his  best  to  procure  remedies  when  Bru  was 
bitten  by  the  snake.  He  now  gave  us  a 
guide  in  the  person  of  his  nephew,  v/ho 
happened  to  be  going  to  Antalo  to  sell  two 
mules.  From  our  halting  place  we  crossed 
the  Gueba,  swollen  by  the  rains,  and  by  far 
the  most  important  stream  yet  passed  by  us  ; 
the  water  was  up  to  our  girths  at  the  ford, 
and  running  strongly.  We  then  mounted 
a  gradual  ascent  through  thick  bush,  which 
greatly  retarded  our  progress.  Two  hours 
from  the  river  we  commenced  a  truly  awful 
climb ;  and  having  been  sent  to  Antalo 
because  the  road  was  good,  I  was  rather 
disgusted.  The  ascent  from  Gueba  sur- 
passes even  Mahenzie,  both  in  point  of  its 
steepness  and  the  difficulty  of  getting  loaded 
animals  through  the  rocks.  We  clambered 
for  a  long  way  by  the  side  of  a  valley  which 


i64  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA. 

is  curiously  blocked  near  the  top  by  a  wall  of 
rock,  over  which,  judging  from  the  water- 
mark, a  considerable  cascade  must  fall  in  the 
wet  season.  Our  climb  finished,  we  were 
landed  on  a  table-land,  partly  in  cultivation 
and  partly  overgrown  with  acacia.  Having 
ascended  about  2,500  feet  from  the  level 
of  the  Gueba,  we  reached  Dukwani  after  a 
march  of  ten  hours  from  Abbi  Addy. 

April  6. — From  Dukwani,  where  we  had 
spent  a  cold  windy  night  in  the  clouds,  we 
descended  easily  to  a  plain.  The  village  of 
Addy  Gedaish  is  passed  on  the  left,  and  for 
twenty  minutes  we  were  passing  Addy  Daro, 
a  village  a  mile  long,  situated  on  the  low 
table-land  to  the  right  of  our  path.  After 
crossing  the  plain,  in  a  diagonal  direction, 
we  climbed  the  side  of  a  low  hill,  passed 
the  village  of  Tashi,  and  for  twenty-five 
minutes  continued  to  march  through  the 
district  of  the  same  name.  The  adjoining 
district  to  Tashi  is  Ad'Zerghi.  Two  hours 
and  a  half  from  Dukwani,  and  from  an 
elevation  of  about  8,000  feet,  we  had  a 
fine  view  of  the  plain  below  us,  and  of  the 


CAMELS  AGAIN.  165 

villages  of  right  and  left  Wazza  to  the  south- 
west. We  then  followed  the  path  along  the 
edge  of  a  giddy  precipice  to  the  Pass  of 
Gergara,  from  which  the  village  and  church 
of  Mariam  Gergara  are  visible  on  a  table- 
land below.  We  descended  and  crossed  the 
Gergara  table-land,  and  then  again  descended 
to  the  cultivated  plain  of  Womberat.  Our 
path  led  us  in  a  south-easterly  direction 
across  the  plain  and  through  the  priests' 
village  of  Ona  Tekla  Haimanot,  a  short  dis- 
tance beyond  which  we  halted,  near  a  stream 
of  water  and  on  good  pasture. 

After  a  rest  we  continued  our  march  for 
some  distance  over  a  cultivated  plain,  which 
was  succeeded  by  a  tract  of  rich  grazing  land  ; 
then  we  proceeded  up  a  well-watered  valley, 
improved  by  artificial  irrigation.  At  the  head 
of  this  valley  we  saw  camels,  the  first  which 
we  have  met  since  we  left  Asmara  ;  the 
Abyssinians  buy  them  from  the  Danakils, 
and  employ  them  to  carry  salt  from  the  plain. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  we  crossed  a  high  pass, 
and  came  into  view  of  the  lofty  mountains  of 
Wojerat  and  the  extensive  intervening  plain  : 


1 66  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA . 

rather  an  appalling  sight  to  one  who  has  to 
cross  both.  We  experienced  a  little  rain  and 
hail,  and  the  thermometer  fell  several  degrees; 
but  we  were  let  off  lightly,  as  a  heavy  storm 
broke  on  the  mountains  behind  us,  and  left 
them  covered  with  hail  which  glistened 
brightly  in  the  sunlight  for  a  few  minutes,  and 
then  melted  away. 

From  the  pass  we  had  an  execrable  clamber 
over  huge  red  boulders  and  rubble,  and  this 
culminated  in  a  precipitous  descent  into  a 
ravine,  with  a  corresponding  climb  out  of  the 
same  to  our  encampment  on  the  side  of  the 
hill,  on  which  the  ruins  of  Antalo  are  situ- 
ated. 

April  7. — I  remained  at  Antalo  for  the 
benefit  of  the  market-day  news.  We  had  also 
heard  that  in  consequence  of  the  insecurity 
of  the  road,  it  would  be  safer  to  defer  pro- 
ceeding till  after  market-day,  when  a  great 
company  of  merchants  would  proceed  together, 
and  so  render  themselves  less  liable  to  attack. 
Our  soldier  also  stated  that  from  Antalo  to 
the  lake  we  should  be  unable  to  obtain  flour 
or  forage,  and   therefore   I    decided   to  carry 


"ALL  MEN  ARE  liars:'  167 

enough  to  last  us  the  four  days  which  I  ex- 
pected to  occupy  in  making  the  journey. 
Both  these  statements  turned  out  to  be  per- 
fectly untrue.  For  a  long  time  the  road  has 
been  safe,  and  the  king's  presence  at  Ashangi, 
entailing  the  constant  passing  and  repassing 
of  many  soldiers,  renders  it  at  present  per- 
fectly secure.  The  Enderta  country  is  one 
of  the  most  fertile  and  thickly  populated  in 
Abyssinia,  and  through  the  mountainous  dis- 
trict of  Wojerat  supplies  were  plentiful  and 
easily  obtained.  I  can  only  attribute  these 
stories  to  an  innate  propensity  for  lying 
which  the  Abyssinians  possess,  and  which 
they  not  infrequently  use  in  the  most  object- 
less manner. 

I  visited  the  market,  which  was  similar  in 
all  respects  to  that  of  Abbi  Addy,  a  descrip- 
tion of  which  I  have  already  given.  One 
elderly  lady's  curiosity  was  excited  by  the 
whiteness  of  the  skin  under  my  wrist,  and  she 
proceeded  to  touch  it,  observing  that  I  had 
too  much  clothes  on. 

April  8. — Having  commenced  to  prepare 
soon  after  4  a.m.,  I   hoped  to  have  been  on 


i68  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

the  march  an  hour  earHer  than  usual  ;  but  I 
find  that,  whether  I  begin  early  or  late,  I 
seldom  succeed  in  starting  before  6.30.  Last 
night,  not  a  few  of  my  people  drank  rather 
more  tedge  than  was  good  for  them,  and  this 
morninof  some  of  them  were  not  to  be  found 
when  wanted.  One  man,  who  has  been  giving 
me  considerable  trouble  lately,  and  whom  I 
suspected  of  being  dishonest,  walked  off  with 
a  great  coat  which  I  had  lent  to  my  servant. 
I  sent  some  men  into  the  village,  and  they 
captured  him  and  recovered  the  coat  ;  but  I 
dismissed  the  man,  who  held  a  position  of 
trust,  on  the  spot.  This  threw  the  whole  of 
my  camp  into  the  most  intense  excitement, 
as,  with  very  few  exceptions,  all  my  men  had 
lent  him  money  in  sums  varying  from  i  dollar 
to  32  dollars.  After  a  time  I  succeeded  in 
restoring  order,  and  we  marched  off;  the  men 
wished  to  keep  their  debtor,  in  order  to  get 
what  he  was  worth  out  of  him.  We  were 
followed  by  several  people  from  the  town,  one 
of  them  claiming  to  have  lent  the  culprit 
clothing  during  the  night,  with  which  raiment 
he  was  walking  off.   My  own  people  naturally 


''  AISD  SOME  ARE  THIEVES:'  169 

kept  their  man  out  of  the  hands  of  the  towns- 
people, but  as  I  considered  that  those  from 
whom  he  had  stolen  had  a  prior  claim  to 
those  who  had  lent  or  intrusted  money  to  his 
care,  of  their  own  will,  I  ordered  two  men  to 
seize  him.  I  then  caused  him  to  be  stripped 
of  the  stolen  property,  which  I  restored  to  its 
grateful  owner.  Later  in  the  day  I  assessed 
his  liabilities,  which  amounted  to  74!  dollars, 
his  monthly  wages  being  6  dollars.  As  he 
had  a  balance  of  8  dollars  to  his  credit,  I 
divided  it  out  among  his  dupes. 

From  Antalo,  three-quarters  of  an  hour 
brought  us  to  the  plain,  which  we  traversed 
easily  and  quickly,  and  crossed  the  Rivers 
Bouille  and  Iverto.  During  our  mid-day  halt 
we  had  our  almost  daily  ration  of  rain,  and, 
as  a  special  thing,  a  liberal  allowance  of  hail, 
the  stones  of  which  were  of  considerable  size 
and  very  hard. 

The  afternoon  saw  us  on  the  road  by  which 
the  English  Expedition  of  1868  marched 
through  the  country,  and  it  being  good,  we 
got  along  considerably  faster  than  the  usual 
2\  miles  an  hour.     Our  path  led  up  a  lovely 

22 


I70  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

valley,  watered  by  a  winding  mountain  tor- 
rent which  we  crossed  every  few  minutes. 
Suitable  places  for  camping  occurred  fre- 
quently, so  that  we  continued  our  march  till  I 
considered  that  we  had  gone  far  enough.  At 
this  season  everything  was  bright  and  green, 
and  I  felt  as  if  I  could  never  tire  of  marching, 
where  each  turn  in  the  road  opened  up  some 
new  and  pleasant  prospect,  instead  of  the 
everlasting  mimosa  and  acacia  of  the  country 
through  which  we  had  been  travelling  so  many 
days.  We  camped  on  an  open  grassy  space 
near  Beit  Mariam. 

April  9. — At  6  o'clock  we  marched,  and 
soon  passed  the  church  of  Beit  Mariam.  We 
had  a  pleasant  climb  over  Alajie,  which, 
though  high,  is  not  difficult  of  ascent,  and  our 
path  led  through  pleasant  places.  From 
Alajie  we  descended  to  the  Atsala  Plain, 
where  we  rested  awhile.  A  man  passed  us 
on  the  way  to  Makelleh  ;  he  asked  me  for 
an  empty  box  in  which  to  carry  the  bones  of 
his  brother  to  their  native  village.  The  idea 
of  carrying  empty  boxes  amused  me  rather, 
but  I  promised  to  give  him  one  when  I  passed 


PORTRAIT  OF   THE   VIRGIN    (bEIT   MARIAM    CHURCH). 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE.  173 

through  Makelleh  on  my  way  to  the  coast. 
In  the  afternoon  we  crossed  the  Debar  Pass. 
Here  we  met  a  messenger  who  had  come 
from  the  two  Cossacks  at  Adowa  with  a 
message  to  the  king,  and  was  returning.  We 
descended  to  Deba,  and  camped  for  the  night 
near  one  of  the  kingr's  chiefs  who  had  marched 
with  us  during  the  latter  part  of  the  day.  He 
had  formerly  been  the  king's  cupbearer,  and 
held  that  position  when  Admiral  Sir  William 
Hewett  visited  Adowa  in  1884.  He  had 
since  been  wounded  in  an  engagement  under 
Ras  Alula  against  Debbub,  and,  having  been 
on  sick  leave  in  his  own  village,  was  return- 
ing to  the  king's  camp. 

Api'il  10. — At  6  this  morning  we  struck 
our  camp,  and  marched  in  company  with  our 
friend  of  the  previous  afternoon.  We  con- 
tinued on  the  road  by  which  our  troops 
marched  against  Theodore,  and  which  lay 
chiefly  through  groves  of  fir-tree.  The 
scenery  was  more  suggestive  to  me  of  Canada 
than  any  other  country  I  have  visited.  At  10 
o'clock  I  halted  to  give  my  people  an  oppor- 
tunity of  making  their  bread,  as  I  was  advised 


174  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

that  on  arrival  in  the  king's  camp  we  should 
be  surrounded  by  soldiers  and  unable  to  settle 
down  for  some  hours. 

Yesterday  and  to  -  day  we  heard  con- 
flicting rumours  as  to  the  intended  move- 
ments of  the  king,  some  people  saying  that 
in  two  days  he  would  march  for  Makelleh, 
and  others  that  he  would  remain  at  Ashan^i 
until  after  Easter.  However,  as  we  neared 
his  camp,  all  of  whom  we  inquired  assured  us 
that  the  king  would  remain  where  he  was 
till  after  Easter.  From  our  halting-place  I 
sent  our  soldiers  on  to  announce  my  approach 
to  Dejaj  Tesemma,  who  was  to  be  my  balder- 
abba,  and  to  Lij  Mesesha  Worky,  the  king's 
English  interpreter  whom  I  had  known  at 
Adowa,  and  who  will  be  remembered  as  one 
of  the  Abyssinian  Envoys  who  visited  London 
in  1885. 

Soon  after  noon,  having  made  our  friendly 
chief  a  present,  we  continued  our  march,  and 
I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  many  of  the 
loads  hooked  on  to  the  pack-saddles  for  the 
last  time.  About  an  hour  later  we  arrived 
suddenly  in  sight  of  the  king's  camp  and  Lake 


SUMMONS  TO  THE  KING.  175 

Ashangi.  The  lake  is  not  impressive  from 
its  size,  but  is  prettily  situated  in  a  basin 
formed  by  green  hills  on  three  sides  and  by 
a  fertile  sloping  plain  on  the  fourth. 

As  we  neared  the  camp,  which  is  very 
scattered,  we  were  met  by  the  soldier,  whom 
I  had  sent  on.  He  brought  a  message  from 
the  king,  requesting  me  to  come  at  once  to 
him.  The  soldier  added  that  the  king  had 
threatened  to  punish  him,  should  he  fail  to 
bring  me  into  camp  that  evening ;  but  he 
beesfed  me  to  wait  a  few  minutes  till  an 
escort  of  200  men  should  arrive  to  accompany 
me.  The  officers  commanding  the  escort  soon 
appeared,  and  informed  me  that  they  had  been 
ordered    to  conduct    me  direct  to  the  kino-. 

o 

I  had  been  rather  apprehensive  of  this  ;  but 
my  interpreter,  and  the  chief  with  whom  I 
travelled,  assured  me  that  I  should  not  be 
called  till  Monday,  it  being  then  Saturday 
afternoon.  So  I  was  obliged  to  change  my 
clothes  in  the  road,  unpack  the  letters  from 
Her  Majesty  and  Lord  Salisbury,  and  the 
swords  for  the  king  and  his  son.  These  pro- 
ceedings entertained  the  soldiers  greatly  ;   I 


176  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSIXIA. 

don't  know  whether  the  rapid  transformation 
in  my  own  appearance,  or  the  unpacking  of 
the  tin-Hned  case,  containing  the  presents, 
pleased  them  the  more.  The  large  quantities 
of  brown  and  other  papers,  which  had  to  be 
extracted  from  the  packing  case  before  the 
swords  were  reached,  raised  their  curiosity  to 
a  high  pitch,  which  culminated  when  the 
handsome  oak  case  with  its  silver  mountings 
was  withdrawn.  As  soon  as  I  was  ready,  I 
abandoned  the  caravan,  which  had  been  the 
object  of  so  many  days'  solicitude  to  me,  to 
the  care  of  the  mule  drivers,  while  I  moved 
on  with  a  few  chosen  attendants  to  the  king's 
house.  The  soldiers  took  up  a  sort  of  for- 
mation, in  the  centre  of  which  I  and  the 
persons  who  were  intrusted  to  carry  the  pre- 
sents rode.  Thus  we  crossed  a  plain  and 
climbed  the  hill  on  which  the  king  is  building 
a  new  palace.  Here  I  was  the  beholden  of 
many  hundreds,  as,  having  dismounted,  I 
walked  to  the  door  of  the  circular,  cone- 
roofed  building  in  which  His  Majesty  was 
seated.  As  I  was  about  to  enter  I  was 
abruptly  stopped,  because  at  the  last  moment 


SEAL   OF    KING   JOHN. 


THE  ROYAL  RECEPTION.  179 

the  king  had  sent  for  a  chair  for  me  which 
had  not  yet  arrived.  The  chair  was  brought 
and  placed  with  its  back  against  the  pole 
which  supports  the  roof  in  the  centre,  and 
exactly  facing  the  king.  As  usual,  he  was 
seated  on  an  angareb,  supported  on  either 
side  by  a  large  cushion.  On  my  entering  he 
extended  his  arm  to  its  full  length,  and  re- 
ceived me  in  the  most  cordial  manner.  At 
first  I  thought  he  was  directing  me  to  the 
chair,  to  which  his  outstretched  hand  was 
pointing ;  but  I  soon  perceived  his  meaning, 
and  having  taken  his  hand  and  bowed,  I  pre- 
sented Her  Majesty's  letter,  enveloped  in  an 
embroidered  cover  which  I  had  bought  in 
Cairo,  and  which  appropriately  had  a  gold 
lion,  resembling  the  king's  seal,  worked  in 
the  centre.  Then  I  laid  before  the  king  the 
sword  in  its  case,  with  the  lid  opened,  and 
afterwards  the  sword  for  his  son,  Ras  Aria 
Selassie.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  brief 
announcement  with  which  I  accompanied 
each  presentation  the  king  bowed  and  ex- 
pressed his  thanks.  He  then  said  that  he 
had  ordered  a  canip  to  be  prepared  for  me, 


1 80  THRO  UGH  A B  YSSINIA. 

and  that  I  must  go  and  rest.  As  I  left,  a 
salute  of  six  guns  was  fired.  Accompanied 
by  my  escort  I  went  to  my  camp,  which  I 
found  was  in  the  enclosure  of  another  of  the 
king's  houses,  where  I  should  be  secure  from 
the  importunities  to  which  I  should  have 
been  exposed  in  an  open  camp.  The  Aboona 
was  occupying  the  king's  house  in  another 
division  of  the  same  enclosure.  For  myself 
I  found  a  large  but  very  thin  tent  pitched, 
furnished  with  an  angareb,  or  native  couch, 
covered  with  a  carpet,  and  having  on  it  the 
usual  two  large  cushions.  Other  carpets 
were  laid  on  the  ground,  and  for  some  time 
I  sat  in  state  till  my  escort  was  marched  off, 
and  I  was  left  only  with  the  small  guard, 
which  would  remain  with  me  during  my  stay 
in  the  king's  camp.  A  large  black  tent  had 
been  provided  for  the  people  of  my  caravan, 
who  had  all  arrived,  and  we  soon  settled 
down,  glad  of  the  prospect  of  a  week  or  ten 
days'  rest. 

My  interpreter  tells  me  that  he  has  never 
known  the  king  give  so  cordial  a  first  re- 
ception, and  that  his  message  to  hasten  me 


THE  KINGS  PRESENTS.  i8i 

to  his  presence  was  an  additional  proof  of 
his  good  feeHng.  This  is  due  to  the  nature 
of  my  mission,  which  deals  with  no  vexed 
questions  or  controversies  so  far  as  England 
is  concerned.  The  king  would  also  wish  to 
show  his  gratification  at  receiving  a  letter 
and  presents  from  Her  Majesty,  and  he 
certainly  could  not  have  shown  it  in  a  more 
distingfuished  manner  than  he  did  in  his 
reception  of  myself  as  the  bearer  of  the 
Letter  and  Sword  of  Honour. 

In  the  evening,  presents  of  food,  consisting 
of  a  cow,  bread,  ghee,  tedge,  red  pepper, 
and  firewood,  arrived,  and  were  continued 
regularly  during  the  time  I  remained.  Two 
fireplaces,  and  a  spoon  for  my  use,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  custom  of  the  country,  were 
lent  from  the  king's  house. 


V. 

MY  SOJOURN  AT  THE  KING'S  COURT 


V. 

MY    SOJOURN    AT    THE    KING's    COURT. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  at  my  final  camp 
being  Sunday,  afforded  me  an  opportunity  of 
resting  from  active  exercise.  The  frequent 
potations  of  tedge  which  I  had  perforce  con- 
sumed with  my  many  inquisitive,  begging 
visitors,  had  considerably  unsettled  my  in- 
ternal economy,  so  I  was  glad  of  the  oppor- 
tunity of  devoting  myself  to  my  writing,  an 
accumulation  of  which  had  to  be  got  through. 
Tedge,  the  principal  beverage  of  the  country, 
is  made  by  the  fermentation  of  honey,  water, 
and  a  plant  called  geesho.  It  varies  much 
in  quality  and  flavour,  some  being  very 
pleasant,  and  others  quite  the  reverse.  On 
the  arrival  of  visitors  it  is  always  brought  in 
in  gombos,  or  large  earthen  jars,  whence  it  is 
poured  into  horn  beakers  for  the  use  of  the 
guests. 

24 


i86  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA. 

My  enclosure  was  situated  on  an  eminence 
overlooking  the  Lake  Ashangi,  which  lay 
to  the  south-east.  East  of  my  hill  was 
that  on  which  the  king  was  encamped, 
the  distance  between  us  permitting  of  my 
observing  proceedings  within  the  royal  com- 
pound, and  of  being  subjected  to  scrutiny 
myself.  I  first  occupied  myself  in  making 
my  camp  comfortable  for  man  and  beast. 
I  pitched  my  Indian  tent  in  such  a  way 
that  I  could  walk  from  it  into  the  laree 
circular  one  which  the  king  had  provided 
for  me.  In  the  former  was  my  bed  and 
dressing  paraphernalia,  while  in  the  latter  I 
arranged  a  divan  on  which  to  sit  when  re- 
ceiving formal  visits,  a  writing-table,  and  a 
dining-table,  both  the  latter  being  formed  of 
biscuit  boxes  or  empty  cases.  The  king's 
rugs  and  carpets  covered  the  ground,  and 
though  the  transparency  of  the  tent  cloth 
scarcely  diminished  the  power  of  the  sun's 
rays,  I  managed,  by  lifting  the  curtain  to 
admit  the  breeze,  to  keep  my  state  apartment 
fairly  cool  during  the  hot  part  of  the  day. 
My  sleeping  tent,  on  the  other  hand,  with  its 


INDIAN  TENTS.     SORE  BACKS.  187 

double  roof,  was  always  cool  In  the  day  and 
warm  at  night.  For  the  benefit  of  those 
who  have  had  no  experience  in  tents,  and 
are  called  on  to  make  a  choice,  I  may  repeat 
that  the  result  of  my  varied  experience  is 
that  the  double-fly  Indian  mountain-tent  is 
without  a  rival  in  every  sample  of  weather, 
■climate,  or  service.  It  keeps  out  the  rain, 
wind,  and  sun,  keeps  in  the  warmth,  is  port- 
able, easily  pitched  and  struck,  economical 
in  regard  to  space,  and  evidently  constructed 
on  principles,  the  result  of  inventive  genius, 
practical  science,  and  diversified  experience. 
During  my  first  day  I  succeeded  in  settling 
myself  down  very  comfortably,  and  I  found 
that  my  men  did  the  same,  and  apparently 
appreciated  the  prospect  of  a  few  days'  rest 
as  much  as  I  did.  When  I  came  to  look 
into  the  ailments  of  my  beasts,  I  found  that 
sore  backs,  though  the  order  of  the  day, 
were  not  so  severe  as  they  certainly  would 
have  been  had  I  exercised  a  less  unremitting 
vigilance  over  the  mules  while  on  the  march. 
I  washed  all  the  sores  with  carbolic  soap,  and 
turned  the  animals  on  to  good  grass,  which 


i88  THRO  UGH  A  B  \  'SSINIA. 

soon  had  the  effect  of  making  them  healthy. 
Every  night  they  were  brought  in,  and 
picketed  in  the  compound  for  safety,  being 
let  out  in  the  morning  to  graze  on  the 
surrounding  plain,  under  the  care  of  one  or 
two  of  my  men  by  turns.  The  Abyssinians 
make  considerable  show  of  strictly  observing 
times  of  fasting.  Of  these  Lent  is  the 
principal,  and  it  being  now  that  season,  the 
Abyssinians  were  supposed  not  to  kill,  or  eat 
animal  food.  Notwithstanding  that  I  was 
daily  receiving  presents  of  cows  and  sheep, 
I  desired  to  respect  and  conform  to  the 
customs  of  the  country,  and  so  I  abstained 
from  slaughtering,  and  contented  myself  for 
some  days  with  chicken  in  every  form  which 
the  culinary  knowledge  of  Mahomed,  or  my 
cook,  could  conceive.  Safely  enclosed  in  a 
stockaded  compound,  and  shielded  from  the 
public  gaze,  I  suppose  that  my  men  thought 
it  would  be  safe  to  approach  me  on  the 
subject  of  killing  a  cow.  I  received  the 
deputation,  and  assented  to  their  proposals, 
stipulating  only,  in  the  most  matter-of-course 
manner,  that,  before  killing,  each  mule  driver 


MUTTON  CHOPS  IN  LENT.  189 

should  provide  and  instruct  a  substitute,  for  I 
reminded  them  that  the  king  had  just  returned 
from  a  punitive  expedition  against  a  Galla 
tribe  who  had  been  guilty  of  killing  cattle 
during  Lent,  and  I  could  not  be  certain 
that  he  would  not  kill  them.  This  stipula- 
tion, and  the  serious  manner  of  making  it, 
damped  my  men's  longing  for  butcher's  meat, 
but  I  afterwards  compromised  matters,  and 
rewarded  their  services  by  disposing  of  some 
sheep.  Being  still  desirous  of  keeping  on 
good  terms  with  my  own  conscience,  I 
agreed  with  Mahomed — who,  not  being  a 
Christian,  was  not  tied  by  the  Abyssinian 
prejudices — that  I  would  give  him  a  sheep 
if  he  would  give  me  a  mutton  chop.  So  I 
enjoyed  my  chop  in  the  privacy  of  my  tent, 
and  reflected  how  little  there  was  to  choose, 
in  point  of  humbug,  between  the  Christian 
and  the  Mussulman,  when  stomach  and  soul 
met  on  the  ground  of  conflicting  interests. 
Another  day  passed  in  cleaning  up  my 
clothes,  saddlery,  and  transport  equipment. 
A  Greek  doctor,  by  name  Parissis,  who  was 
with  the  king,  visited  me,  evidently  with  the 


igo  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

object  of  pumping  me,  but  I  carefully  kept 
him  at  bay  on  the  subject  of  the  Italian 
occupation  till  I  could  gather  from  his  re- 
marks how  the  feelinof  ran  within  the  kingf's 
house.  We  talked  of  European  matters  as 
well  as  our  limited  stock  of  Greek-French 
and  British-French  would  permit.  In  the 
afternoon  a  tremendous  storm  of  rain,  hail, 
thunder,  and  lightning  raged  for  an  hour, 
flooding,  even  in  that  short  space  of  time,  all 
the  low-lying  land,  and  creating  among  the 
hills  thousands  of  water-courses,  flowing  in 
every  direction  with  the  rapidity  of  mill- 
streams.  After  this  had  cleared  off  some- 
what, I  mounted  my  mule,  and  having 
assembled  enough  escort  to  invest  my  visit 
with  some  formality,  I  rode  off  to  see  Dejaj 
Tesemma,  one  of  the  officials  of  the  Court 
with  whom  it  was  desirable  to  be  on  good 
terms.  He  was  also  a  brother  of  Ras  Alula. 
As  I  sat  beside  him  on  a  rug,  supported  by 
pillows,  I  managed  to  leave  a  packet  of  a 
hundred  dollars  almost  under  him  without 
any  of  his  lynx-eyed  satellites  seeing  the 
action.       Having   sown   seed    from   which   I 


.  A  DIPL  OMA  TIC  DEL  A  V.  191 

hoped  to  reap  a  crop  of  good  offices  in 
expediting  my  business,  I  rode  down  to  the 
margin  of  the  lake  to  knock  over  a  few  duck 
for  the  pot. 

On  the  following  day  I  expected  to  be 
summoned  to  the  king's  presence  to  discuss 
with  him  the  political  business  on  which  I 
had  come.  But  evidently  he  had  not  suffi- 
ciently got  up  his  case  to  receive  me  yet 
awhile,  for  my  hundred-dollar  friend  sent  me 
word  that  the  king  was  busy  holding  a 
council,  and  that  I  should  be  called  to- 
morrow. However,  later  in  the  day  I 
received  a  visit  from  the  king's  two  English 
interpreters.  These  youths  were  educated 
at  Bombay,  and  had  been  very  friendly  with 
all  the  members  of  the  Hewett  Mission.  So 
I  was  glad  to  receive  them  with  as  much 
hospitality  as  I  could  dispense.  They  pre- 
ferred my  Scotch  whiskey  to  their  own  tedge, 
so  with  that  and  some  Navy  biscuit  we 
feasted  and  talked  till  they  took  their  de- 
parture. Besides  Abyssinian  topics  of  con- 
versation, I  was  able  to  inform  them  of  the 
doings  of  their  brother  at  school,  at  Carlton 


192  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA. 

Forehoe,  in  Norfolk.  In  the  afternoon  the 
weather  became  very  threatening,  but  the 
rain  held  off,  and  we  escaped  with  a  little 
thunder  and  lightning,  though,  no  doubt,  a 
storm  similar  to  that  of  yesterday  broke 
somewhere  not  very  distant.  My  valuable 
map,  more  useful  to  me  than  a  dozen  rascally 
guides,  was  in  a  terrible  state  of  dilapidation, 
so  I  spent  some  hours  mending  it  with  the 
only  material  at  my  disposal — the  white  of 
■^^'g  and  the  margins  of  an  old  newspaper ; 
but  directly  I  attempted  to  fold  it,  it  all  fell 
to  pieces  again.  I  tried  again  with  acacia 
gum,  but  for  some  reason  which  I  couldn't 
fathom,  the  gum  seemed  no  more  adhesive 
than  the  ^gg. 

I  expressed  a  half-intention  of  buying  a 
horse,  if  only  for  the  sake  of  an  occasional 
gallop  about  the  surrounding  plains  during 
my  sojourn  at  Ashangi.  From  that  time  till 
my  departure  a  constant  stream  of  horses 
were  being  led  into  my  compound  for  in- 
spection, trial,  and  hoped-for  purchase.  The 
price  of  these  animals,  which  were  rough 
but    useful    country-bred    beasts,    ranged    at 


ABYSSINIAN  HORSEMEN.  193 

about  sixteen  to  twenty  dollars  —  cheap 
enough,  if  only  for  the  exercise.  But  I  knew 
that  the  king  would  give  me  a  better  one  than 
I  could  buy,  so  I  contented  myself  with  trying 
all  which  were  brousfht  me,  and  so  g-ot  some 
good  rough  experience.  The  Abyssinians  ride 
entirely  with  a  loose  seat,  the  big  toes 
thrust  into  small  iron  stirrups.  The  saddle, 
which  fits  the  horse's  back  like  an  inverted 
V,  has  a  high  pommel  and  cantle,  its  wooden 
framework  being  bound  together  by  hide 
thongs.  I  induced  these  accomplished  horse- 
men to  ride  my  saddle,  thinking  that  they 
would  find  a  difficulty  at  first,  but  they  rode 
with  as  much  ease  and  confidence  as  on  their 
own.  I  also  could  ride  their  saddles,  but  they 
were  certainly  not  comfortable.  My  bridle 
had  only  a  powerful  twisted  Pelham,  so 
the  Abyssinians  missed  the  power  which 
their  terrible  Arab  bit  o-ives  them  over  a 
horse. 

Although,  of  course,  the  days  were  in- 
tensely hot,  and  the  heat  dry  and  scorching, 
this  was  far  preferable  to  the  damp  heat  of 
the  coast.     The  nights  were  cold,  the  ther- 

25 


194  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

mometer   usually  registering  a  minimum    of 
52  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

Another  day  arrived,  and  again  the 
Abyssinian  motto  "  to-morrow "  was  an- 
nounced for  my  visit  to  the  king  ;  this  was 
getting  somewhat  exasperating,  and  I  saw 
every  prospect  of  an  unlimited  detention  if 
I  allowed  it  to  go  on.  True,  my  days  were 
well  occupied  in  writing,  and  looking  after 
the  wants  of  my  men  and  animals,  and  in 
attending  to  the  duties  of  my  camp  and 
caravan  stores  ;  but  the  work  of  my  mission 
did  not  progress,  and  I  began  to  long  for  a 
return  to  civilization,  and  the  companionship 
of  my  own  countrymen.  So  I  got  hold  of 
one  of  the  king's  people  and  decidedly 
announced  my  intention  of  starting  on  Sun- 
day, the  1 8th,  it  being  then  Wednesday, 
the  14th  of  April.  This  I  knew  would  reach 
the  king's  ears,  and  might  induce  him  to 
accord  me  an  early  interview.  At  one  time, 
I  regarded  these  daily  postponements  as 
indications  of  the  fact  that  since  the  Italian 
occupation  of  Massowah  an  Englishman  was 
not  so  entirely  x\\&  persona  grata  that  he  had 


MORE  DIPLOMA  TIC  DELA  Y.  195 

been  before  that  event.  However,  I  think, 
from  subsequent  events,  that  that  was  not 
the  case,  at  least  so  far  as  the  king  was 
concerned. 

Another  day,  and  I  was  re-subjected  to 
the  pumping  process,  this  time  by  Lij  John, 
one  of  the  interpreters  already  spoken  of. 
From  him  I  heard  that  the  king  had  only 
that  day  learned  of  the  postponement  of  the 
Italian  Mission,  so  here  was  one  reason  for 
his  procrastination  in  receiving  me.  Doubt- 
less he  had  intended  to  confront  us  one  with 
another,  and  had  hoped  by  so  doing  to 
fix  the  responsibility  for  the  occupation  of 
Massowah  on  England  or  on  Italy  herself. 
As  this  was  no  longer  possible,  I  might 
expect  to  be  received  shortly.  After  Lij 
John  had  left  me,  I  rode  to  return  the  visit 
of  the  Greek  doctor.  He  was  indisposed, 
so  I  did  not  see  him.  I  met  a  Greek 
armourer,  however,  who  had  just  arrived 
from  the  province  of  Shoa,  and  who  had 
been  resident  for  some  years  in  Abyssinia. 
After  this  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  Aboona, 
or    Coptic    High     Priest.       Mahomed    here 


196  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA. 

became  my  interpreter,  as  the  conversation 
was  carried  on  in  Arabic.  The  holy  man 
continued  to  count  his  beads  as  we  con- 
versed. He  expressed  great  surprise  at  my 
intention  of  returning  to  the  coast  so  soon, 
for  he  had  supposed  that  I  should  remain 
in  the  country  for  at  least  three  months, 
that  is  till  after  the  season  of  rains  should 
be  over.  What  object,  beyond  getting  all 
that  was  possible  out  of  me,  the  people  could 
have  had  in  endeavouring  to  persuade  me  to 
remain  among  them,  I  know  not ;  but  many 
were  the  efforts  made  to  deter  me  from  an 
immediate  return.  I  turned  a  deaf  ear  to 
the  numerous  stories  about  the  dangers  of 
travelling  during  the  rains,  just  as  I  had 
done  before  starting"  from  Massowah.  While 
visiting  the  Aboona,  the  wailings  of  many 
pilgrims  without  his  gates  made  the  very  air 
melancholy.  The  crowd  chiefly  consisted  of 
young  men  aspiring  to  the  priesthood,  and 
waiting  the  pleasure  of  the  high  priest  for  their 
ordination  ;  but  beggars,  lepers,  criminals,  and 
pilgrims,  all  mingled  in  a  m.otley  group. 
Truly,   as   I   rode    through    them,  my  whole 


AB YSSIAVAN  CLERG  YMEN.  197 

being,  mental  and  bodily,  turned  sick,  for 
in  Abyssinia  no  hospitals  or  asylums  exist 
to  receive  within  their  doors,  and  so  hide 
from  the  eyes  of  the  world,  the  hideous 
monstrosities,  freaks  of  nature,  loathsome 
masses  of  disease,  such  as  there  occasionally 
meet  one's  gaze  by  the  roadside,  but  here 
were  collected  together  in  great  numbers, 
waiting  on  the  pleasure  of  a  being  as  power- 
less to  help  them  either  in  body,  soul,  or 
spirit,  as  were  the  stones  on  which  they  stood. 
The  trust  reposed  in  the  priesthood  results 
in  the  whole  country  being  priest-ridden  to 
an  extraordinary  degree.  In  Gondar,  which 
was  the  old  capital,  founded  three  centuries 
ago  by  the  Portuguese,  there  are  forty-four 
churches.  To  some  of  these  churches  as 
few  as  40  priests  belong,  to  others  as  many 
as  160,  while  the  church  of  the  Holy  Trinity 
at  Adowa,  the  present  capital,  has  370  priests 
on  its  staff.  There  are  abbots  of  various 
grades,  men  of  some  standing  and  import- 
ance, but  many  hundreds  of  the  clergy  are 
of  a  very  low  class,  whose  only  occupation 
is  be2:2:ino". 


1 98  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

The  following  afternoon  was  marked  by 
a  more  than  ordinarily  tremendous  down- 
pour of  rain,  lasting  from  2.30  till  8.  If 
such  Is  the  dry  season,  what  must  the  wet 
be  like  ?  The  latter  sets  in  concurrently 
with  break  of  the  S.W.  monsoon.  From 
that  time  the  country  becomes,  according 
to  the  accounts  of  many  travellers,  almost 
impassable.  The  rivulets  are  swollen  Into 
torrents,  along  which  the  current  rushes  with 
such  rapidity  that  mules  are  barely  able  to 
maintain  their  foothold  when  fording  streams 
of  not  more  than  two  feet  in  depth,  and 
many  lives  are  lost  in  attempts  to  cross 
the  larger  streams,  such  as  the  Takazze. 
In  the  clay  districts  the  ground  becomes 
greasy  and  slippery  till  progress  is  only 
made  by  prolonged  struggling.  As  to  the 
Takazze  itself  during  the  wet  season,  Bruce, 
a  former  traveller,  says  that  it  carries  In 
its  bed  about  one-third  of  all  the  water 
that  falls  In  Abyssinia.  He  observed  the 
mark  of  the  previous  year's  Inundation  to 
be  eighteen  feet  above  the  mean  level,  and 
adds  that    "this   prodigious    body    of  water 


PICTL.ivL    oi     lilE   CRUCIFIXION. 


CROCODILES  TEARS.  2or 

passing  furiously  from  a  high  ground  in  a 
very  steep  descent,  tearing  up  rocks  and 
large  trees  in  its  course  and  forcing  down 
their  broken  fragments  on  its  stream,  with 
a  noise  like  thunder  echoed  from  a  hundred 
hills,  very  naturally  suggests  an  idea  that 
under  these  circumstances  it  is  very  rightly 
called  the  '  Terrible.'  But  then  it  must  be 
considered  that  all  rivers  at  the  same  time 
equally  overflow."  During  the  dry  season 
the  Takazze  is  described  as  being  about  two 
hundred  yards  in  width,  three  feet  in  depth, 
and  running  swiftly  but  clearly.  Between 
March  and  November  it  is  death  to  sleep 
in  the  adjoining  country  ;  the  whole  of  the 
inhabitants  therefore  retire  to  the  tops  of 
the  neiorhbourinof  mountains.  The  river 
teams  with  fish,  and  crocodiles  who  prey 
upon  the  fish.  Speaking  of  the  crocodile, 
Father  Lobo,  a  Portuguese  missionary  in 
the  seventeenth  century,  says  :  "  Neither  I, 
nor  any  with  whom  I  have  conversed,  have 
ever  seen  him  weep,  therefore  I  take  the 
liberty  of  ranking  all  that  hath  been  told 
us  about  his  tears  amonof  the  fables  which 
are  only  proper  to  amuse  children." 

26 


202  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

I  realized  that  it  is  a  long  lane  that  has 
no  turning,  when  exactly  a  week  after  my 
arrival  in  the  king's  camp  His  Majesty 
summoned  me  for  the  purpose  of  discus- 
sing business.  I  had,  after  all,  only  been 
experiencing  such  delays  as  my  previous 
knowledge  of  the  Abyssinians  had  taught 
me  to  expect.  With  them  dignity,  and  a 
very  leisurely  mode  of  proceeding,  are  in- 
separable ;  moreover,  it  had  been  hinted  to 
me  that  the  king  wished  to  bestow  on  me 
special  marks  of  distinction,  the  apparel  and 
insignia  of  which  required  some  little  time 
to  manufacture.  In  vain  did  I  protest  that 
I  was  by  far  too  small  a  bug  to  be  the 
recipient  of  honours  equal  to  those  which 
had  been  bestowed  upon  my  chief  on  a 
previous  occasion.  Rather,  however,  than 
openly  tell  me  of  the  preparations  which 
were  being  made  for  my  honour,  the  king's 
people  temporized  upon  every  other  excuse 
possible.  At  last,  as  I  have  said,  the 
summons  arrived.  Arraying  myself  in  such 
finery  as  I  had  been  able  conveniently  to 
carry  with  me,  I   started  for  the  king's  hut. 


BLTS/A^ESS  WITH  THE  KING.  203 

accompanied  by  a  large  escort.  My  "  full 
dress  "  kit  would  hardly  have  passed  muster 
under  the  eyes  of  the  most  lenient  admiral 
on  the  list.  It  consisted  of  an  ordinary 
white  tropical  helmet,  pipeclayed  for  the 
occasion  ;  an  old  serge  tunic,  decorated 
with  epaulettes  and  full-size  medals,  &c.  ; 
white  corduroy  riding-breeches  ;  brown  field 
boots  beeswaxed  to  a  high  state  of  polish  ; 
sword,  and  fly-whisk.  When  I  had  ap- 
proached the  king's  enclosure  as  nearly 
as  etiquette  permitted,  I  dismounted,  and 
having  walked  through  the  outer  enclosure, 
I  entered  the  hut.  This  was  constructed  of 
light  poles,  placed  close  to  one  another,  and 
forming  a  circle  of  about  forty  feet  in 
diameter.  These  were  interlaced  with  twigs, 
and  roofed  in  by  thatch.  An  inner  circle 
of  poles,  in  open  order,  supported  the  roof. 
The  hut  was  adjoined  by  two  annexes.  I 
was  told  that  one  was  the  king's  retiring- 
room,  while  the  occasional  tinkling  which 
proceeded  from  the  other,  informed  me  that 
the  king's  favourite  horse  and  mule  had 
their  abode  therein.     Close  to    the    door  of 


204  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA . 

the  royal  drawing-room  was  placed  the  divan 
on  which  the  king  was  seated.  On  pillows 
at  his  side  were  his  weapons,  conspicuous 
amonof  them  beina:  the  sword  of  honour 
with  which  I  had  so  recently  presented  him 
on  behalf  of  Her  Majesty  the  Queen.  The 
king  received  me  with  marked  courtesy. 
The  chief  article  of  dress  in  Abyssinia  is 
a  shawl  of  white  cotton  material,  usually 
with  a  broad  red  stripe  up  the  middle. 
On  state  occasions,  and  in  the  dress  of  the 
nobles,  the  red  stripe  is  replaced  by  one  of  silk 
embroidery,  beautifully  designed,  and  labori- 
ously worked  by  hand.  This  garment  is  made 
the  medium  for  the  expression  of  many  grades 
and  decrees  of  sentiment.  Frigid  reserve, 
antagonistic  feelings  or  intentions,  an  over- 
whelming superiority,  are  manifested  by  the 
shawl  being  drawn  right  across  the  face  just 
below  the  eyes,  and  so  hiding  nose,  mouth, 
and  chin.  As  these  feelings  are  lessened, 
or  supplanted  by  opposite  ones,  so  the 
shawl  is  lowered,  more  or  less  ;  complete 
cordiality,  confidence,  and  "  hail  fellow,  well 
met,"  being  expressed  by  the  shawl  lying 


JOHN'S  OPINION  OF  ENGLISHMEN        205 

folds  around  the  waist,  as  the  dignitary  sits 
Turkish  fashion  on  his  divan.  In  this  way 
did  the  king  receive  me,  and  I  knew  at 
once  that,  however  difficult  might  be  ques- 
tions which  he  had  determined  to  discuss 
with  me,  they  would  be  free  from  any 
personal  animosity  so  far  as  I  was  concerned. 
And  so,  except  for  occasional  interruptions 
from  the  tinkling  of  the  mule-bell,  which 
the  kino-  ordered  to  be  removed  when  he 
saw  that  it  attracted  my  attention,  the  inter- 
view passed  off  pleasantly.  At  its  termina- 
tion, the  king  promised  to  write  a  letter  for 
me  to  take  to  my  Queen,  and  to  let  me 
start  on  the  morrow.  Just  as  I  quitted  the 
royal  presence,  my  interpreter  was  recalled. 
I  was  curious  to  know  the  reason,  and  the 
old  man  told  me  that  the  king  had  asked 
him  whether  I  was  a  general.  This  answered 
in  the  negative,  His  Majesty  was  pleased  to 
remark  that  he  liked  the  English  manner  of 
conducting  business,  observing  that  I  spoke 
quietly,  and  did  not  gesticulate  or  excite 
myself  He  said  that  had  I  been  a  *  *  *  *  * 
man,    I    should    have    shouted    and    made 


2o6  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

wild  motions,  and  when  walking  into  or  out 
of  the  hut  should  have  banged  my  sword 
on  the  ground,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.  I  could  not 
but  feel  pleased  that  my  demeanour  had 
been  agreeable  to  the  king,  though  I  had 
hardly  given  him  credit  for  such  discrimi- 
nation between  the  various  classes  of  Euro- 
peans, as  his  remarks  betrayed.  Johannis 
had  altered  not  a  whit  during  the  two 
years  which  had  elapsed  since  I  last  saw 
him,  although  he  had  gone  through  much 
adventure  in  the  interim.  Indeed,  he  can 
have  altered  but  very  little  since  Lord  Napier 
of  Magdala  placed  him  on  the  throne  in 
1868,  for  a  portrait  of  him  which  appeared 
in  The  Ilhistrated  London  News  of  that 
year,  and  which  was  reproduced  in  1884 
a  propos  of  Sir  William  Hewlett's  mission, 
was  still  a  strikinsf  and  faithful  likeness. 
Actually  about  fifty  years  of  age,  his  lithe 
frame,  keen  eye,  and  quick  intelligent  ex- 
pression, are  more  those  of  a  man  twenty 
years  younger.  When  speaking  to  one, 
through  an  interpreter,  he  lowers  his  eye- 
lids till  his  words  are  repeated  to  his  visitor 


JOHANNIS,    KING   OF   ABYSSINIA,    iSGiJ-lSSg. 


KIXG  JO  HA  XX IS.  209 

whom  he  then  fixedly  regards,  undoubtedly 
often  divining-  the  coming  answer  from  the 
expressions  produced  by  his  own  remarks 
on  the  face  of  him  to  whom  he  is  talking. 
Unless  his  own  rejoinder  is  ready  to  his  lips, 
he  pauses  between  each  question,  usually 
resting  his  chin  in  the  palm  of  his  hand, 
while  all  the  animation  dies  out  of  his  face 
as  he  considers  his  next  question.  At  such 
moments  one  might  suppose  that  he  had 
nothing  more  to  say.  In  character  he  may 
be  cruel,  but  probably  not  more  so  than 
the  generality  of  his  subjects,  nor  than  the 
exigencies  of  a  barbaric  rule  over  a  wild 
and  yet  cunning  race  compel.  I  have  never 
seen  him  standing,  but  I  should  judge  that 
he  is  about  five  feet  six  inches  in  height. 
He  is  held  in  great  awe  by  his  subjects, 
from  the  hio^hest  to  the  lowest.  His 
supremacy,  bravery,  and  success  as  a  con- 
queror and  ruler  are  undisputed,  except  by 
the  warlike  Gallas,  and  the  boastful,  but 
really  submissive,  Menelek,  King  of  Shoa. 

But  to  return  to  myself.     The  rest  of  the 
day,  that  is  from  about  9  a.m.,  was  employed 
•     27 


2 lo  THRO  UGH  A B  \  ^S SI XI A. 

by  me  in  committing  to  paper,  for  my  de- 
spatches, the  details  of  the  recent  interview, 
and  in  preparing,  so  far  as  possible,  for  the 
homeward  march  which  I  hoped  to  commence 
on  the  morrow.  My  beasts  were  now  all  in 
first-rate  condition,  and  appeared  to  be  tired 
of  their  idle  life,  which  is  more  than  I  could 
say  as  regards  my  men.  Abyssinian  to  the 
backbone,  they  appeared  to  find  perfect  con- 
tentment in  eating,  and  squatting  about 
talking  to,  or  looking  at,  one  another.  From 
their  light-hearted  laughter  I  always  supposed 
that  their  conversation  must  be  of  a  frivolous 
order,  and  under  these  circumstances  I  had 
no  apprehensions  of  anything  worse  at  their 
hands  than  peculation.  To  do  them  justice, 
they  did  not  indulge  in  this  national  mis- 
demeanour to  any  appreciable  extent,  and  in 
fact,  out  of  about  ^300  worth  of  camp  and 
transport  gear,  I  only  really  lo.st  about  seven 
shillings'- worth  during  the  whole  of  my  march. 
The  articles  which  constituted  this  loss  may 
easily  have  been  dropped  by  the  wayside 
during  the  many  days  of  toilsome  and  rough 
travelling  which  we  underwent.     To  me,  my 


A B  YSSIXIA N  MULEDRIVERS.  2  r  i 

men  were  always  respectful,  and  v/oulJ  always 
stand  up  on  my  approach.  Although  at  times, 
necessity  compelled  me  to  be  strict  and 
exacting,  I  invariably  took  care  to  acknow- 
ledge, in  one  way  or  another,  my  appreciation 
of  their  enforced  efforts,  and  when  circum- 
stances admitted,  I  showed  them  extra  con- 
sideration in  the  matter  of  rest,  food,  or 
assistance  when  sick.  Their  faith  in  my 
integrity,  as  regards  their  pay  and  rations,  was 
unbounded,  and  bad  as  may  be  the  Abyssinian 
character  in  some  respects,  and  according  to 
our  standard  of  morals,  I  am  bound  to  say 
that  for  cheerful  behaviour,  under  trying  cir- 
cumstances, the  Abyssinians  are  not  to  be 
matched  by  any  native  race,  of  equal  intelli- 
gence, with  which  I  am  acquainted.  The 
toiling  negro  may  outrival  them  in  some 
respects,  but  he  has  less  heart,  and  sickens  to 
death  under  adversity. 

On  the  morning  of  Sunday,  the  i8th  of 
April,  I  was  up  betimes  in  expectation  of  the 
promised  summons  to  my  final  interview  with 
the  king.  In  the  middle  of  the  forenoon, 
however,  there  arrived  at  my  tent  the  king's 


212  THROUGH  AB  Y SSI  MA. 

two  interpreters  and  his  secretary.  Now  this 
self-same  secretary  was  a  highly  bibulous 
person,  who  had  done  much  to  instigate 
antagonism  against  the  proposals  which 
eventually  constituted  the  terms  of  the 
Hewett  Treaty.  On  that  occasion,  unfortu- 
nately, I  had  given  him  liquor  in  the  hopes 
of  inducing  him  to  stay  with  me  and  work 
steadily  through  the  treaty.  It  had  not 
occurred  to  me,  as  was  the  case,  that  he 
might  be  already  fairly  tipsy.  His  ob- 
streperous behaviour  nearly  brought  about  a 
final  collapse  of  the  projects  of  the  mission, 
entailinor  further  discussions  and  delavs. 
So  I  intended  to  profit  by  past  experience, 
and  resolved  to  lead  him  gently  on  by  harm- 
less doses  to  the  end.  Our  object  was  to 
translate,  together,  so  that  there  might  be  no 
misunderstanding  as  to  meanings,  the  draft 
of  the  letter  which  the  king  wished  me  to 
convey  to  Queen  Victoria.  We  worked 
steadily  and  smoothly  on,  till  we  came  to  a 
passage  in  wliich  King  Johannis  expressed 
his  thanks  "  for  the  sword  which  he  had 
received  and   for  that  which  would   be  sent 


AN  A MUSIXG  MIS  TAKE.  2 1 3 

when  it  was  finished."  It  took  many  and 
long  arguments  to  convince  the  three  Abys- 
sinians  that  the  letter  from  the  Queen,  saying 
that  a  sword  would  be  sent,  and  the  later  one 
from  Lord  Salisbury,  saying  that  it  was  now 
sent,  referred  to  one  and  the  same  sword. 
For  some  time  they  could  not  see  it,  and  then 
when  they  could,  they  would  not.  The  fact 
of  the  matter  was  that  they  were  responsible 
for  the  king's  misunderstanding  on  this  point, 
since,  when  translating  these  letters  to  him, 
they  had  not  made  it  appear,  as  was  the  case, 
that  one  was  of  a  later  date  than  the  other. 
Eventually  I  compelled  them,  as  I  hoped,  to 
go  to  the  king,  explain  the  mistake,  and 
obtain  his  sanction  to  a  slight  alteration  in  his 
draft.  This  they  left  my  camp  promising  to 
do ;  but  I  had  my  suspicions  as  to  their 
intentions.  As  the  day  wore  on  and  the 
interpreters  did  not  return,  I  felt  convinced 
that  they  would  never,  of  their  own  accord, 
face  the  king  with  the  explanation  on  which 
I  insisted,  as  necessary  to  prevent  disappoint- 
ment in  the  future.  Foreseeing  that  the 
delay  miglu  be  prolonged,  and  that   I  should 


2 1 4  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA . 

be  prevented  from  departing  on  the  following 
day,  if  I  did  not  hasten  matters  a  little,  I 
ordered  my  mule  to  be  brought  from  the 
plain,  and  prepared  myself  for  a  visit  to  the 
king.  In  vain  did  my  interpreter  and  the 
chief  of  my  escort  protest  the  danger  of  such 
an  undertaking.  I  was  ready  before  my  mule 
arrived,  so  I  started  on  foot,  accompanied 
by  old  Bru  and  my  escort,  the  chief  of 
which  was  mounted.  He  civilly  offered  me 
the  use  of  his  animal,  but  the  distance  was 
not  great,  so  I  walked,  Bru  panting  along  by 
my  side,  entreating  me  to  desist  from  my 
purpose.  Arrived  at  the  outer  gate  of  the 
king's  enclosure,  I  requested  admittance. 
This  being  refused,  I  endeavoured,  unsuccess- 
fully, to  throw  back  the  wooden  bolt  by 
putting  my  arm  through  the  openings  in  the 
eate.  The  chiefs  who  were  assembled  in  the 
outer  courtyard  said  that  the  king  was  asleep, 
that  he  was  ill,  having  fallen  from  his  horse, 
that  it  was  Sunday,  &c.  Finding  that  they 
would  not  admit  me,  and  feelinor  certain  of 
a  welcome  from  the  king,  I  unbuckled  my 
sword,  and  tossing  it  to  my  weeping  inter- 


/  PRESENT  M YSELF  AT  COURT.  215 

preter,  I   scaled  the  gate  and  sat  on  the  top. 
At    this,    the    crowd    of    some    200   people, 
whom    my   appearance    had    attracted,    took 
fright  for  themselves  and  fled  down  the  hill- 
side, fully   expecting  the   king  to  come  out 
and    issue   orders    for   a    general    massacre. 
Young  Kassa,  of  all   my   own  people,  alone 
stood   firm  and  calm.      Looking   down   from 
the  top  of  the  gate  upon  the  chiefs  inside  the 
stockade,   1   informed  them    that  it  was    my 
intention  to  remain  where  I  was,  if  I  remained 
all  night,  till  they  told  the  king  that  I  had 
important  things  to  say  to  him.      Eventually 
they   were  persuaded   to   tell   the  king,  who 
immediately   ordered    me    to    be    admitted. 
Once  inside,  those  who  had   been  loudest  in 
prohibitions,    and    abuse    against    me,    now 
became    most  servile,   kneeling    to    kiss    my 
boots,  and  repeating,  "  Don't  be  angry  with 
us;    don't    hate    us;    don't    tell    the    king!" 
Having  gained   my  point,   I   of   course  had 
no  wish    to  stir  up  strife,  and  so  said  little 
to  the  king  as  to   the  obstruction   which    I 
had  experienced.     Shaking  hands  with   His 
■  Majesty,   I  apologized  for  troubling  him  on 


2 16  THROUGH  A  B I  'SSI XI A . 

Sunday,  especially  as  I  had  been  told  that  he 
was  ill,  and  sleeping  ;  but  the  urgency  of  my 
business,  and  the  necessity  of  departing  on 
the  morrow  to  catch  the  steamer  at  Massowah 
with  His  Majesty's  letter,  compelle^d  me  to 
intrude.  The  king  was  quite  civil,  and  said 
that  he  had  not  been  sleeping,  nor  was  he 
ill,  beyond  something  the  matter  with  one 
finger.  I  examined  the  royal  hand,  made  a 
few  sympathetic  suggestions,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  business.  The  king  readily  grasped 
the  situation,  and  immediately  sent  for  his 
secretary  and  interpreters.  The  former  ar- 
rived after  some  delay,  and  on  entering  made 
so  low  a  bow  that  his  head  nearly  touched 
the  ground,  on  which  a  second  later  he  rolled 
helplessly,  hopelessly  drunk.  The  king, 
recognizing  what  was  undoubtedly  a  charac- 
teristic failing  in  his  secretary,  had  him 
removed.  Then  one  of  the  interpreters 
entered,  trembling  in  every  limb,  till  I  assured 
him  sotto  voce  that  I  had  explained  all,  and 
that  the  king  did  not  seem  to  mind.  Having 
obtained  the  necessary  permission  to  amend 
the  letter,  I  induced  the  interpreter  to  return 


AND  RETURN  TRIUMPHANT.  217 

to  my  camp  with  me  and  complete  the  trans- 
lation. As  I  quitted  the  king's  enclosure  the 
chiefs  begged  a  thousand  pardons,  which  I 
cheerfully  granted,  glad  in  my  innermost 
heart  at  the  success  of  what,  in  my  cooler 
frame  of  mind,  I  was  forced  to  admit  might 
have  ended  in  a  very  different  manner.  The 
king's  friendship  for  me,  and  my  apparent 
influence  with  him,  assured  for  me  an  increased 
measure  of  respect  after  this  incident.  Old 
Bru  was  now  full  of  joyful  congratulations. 
No  doubt,  much  of  his  fear  arose  from  a 
suspicion  that  any  misbehaviour  on  my  part 
would  be  set  down  against  him,  and  might 
bring  him  into  disrepute  in  high  quarters,  for 
he  was  a  man  of  good  connections  in  the 
country.  The  king's  interpreter  promised  me 
that  the  secretary  should  be  set  to  work  as 
soon  as  he  became  sober  enough,  in  order 
that  I  might  come  to  the  king  to  receive  the 
letter  on  the  following  morning,  and  take  my 
departure, — indeed  the  king  had  arranged  this 
during  my  visit  to  him  that  afternoon.  So  I 
concluded  the  day  with  all  possible  prepara- 
tions for  marching  on  the  following  morning. 

28 


VI. 


JOURNEY  TO   THE  COAST,  BY  WAY  OF 
CH ELI  CUT,  A  DEC  RAT,  AND  ASMARA. 


VI. 


JOURNEY  TO  THE  COAST,  BY  WAY  OF  CHELICUT, 
ADEGRAT,  AND  ASMARA. 

April  \^. — At  7  o'clock  in  the  morning  the 
king  sent  for  me ;  and  after  a  short  con- 
versation, I  was  led  out  from  the  royal 
presence  and  conducted  down  a  precipitous 
bank  to  a  black  and  very  hot  tent.  Herein 
were  arranged  all  the  insignia  of  the  honours 
about  to  be  bestowed  on  me.  Having 
divested  myself  of  my  uniform  coat,  I  thrust 
my  legs,  clothed  in  a  pair  of  field-boots  and 
velvet  cord  riding-breeches,  into  a  pair  of 
capacious  pantaloons  of  French  silk,  pro- 
fusely embroidered  in  gold  and  lined  with 
red.  A  silk  shirt,  also  embroidered  in  gold 
and  lined  with  red,  was  then  put  over  me 
and  confined  at  the  waist  with  a  silk  wrapper. 
Next  came  a  "merghaf"  or  "shamma"  of 
delicate  texture,  and  over  this,  in  the  form 
of  a  cape,  came  a  lion's  mane,  which   had 


222  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

hitherto  been  worn  by  the  regal  donor  of 
all  this  splendour.  By  this  time  I  found  it 
rather  difficult  to  move  or  breathe,  and  my 
discomforts  were  added  to  by  a  heavy  silver- 
gilt  armlet  which  was  buckled  on  my  right 
forearm.  On  my  left  arm  was  hung  a  rhino- 
ceros-hide shield,  covered  in  dark-blue  silk, 
and  ornamented  with  silver  and  silver-gilt, 
while  into  my  now  almost  powerless  hand 
were  thrust  two  inconveniently  long  spears. 
A  gold  ornament,  the  badge  of  the  "  Order 
of  Solomon,"  consisting  of  two  triangles 
and  a  cross,  set  with  red,  green,  and  violet 
glass,  was  hung  round  my  neck,  and  I  was 
led  forth  from  the  tent.  Outside  I  found  a 
gaily-trapped  horse  and  mule  —  I  believe 
"  richly  caparisoned  "  is  the  correct  term — 
awaitine  me.  These  two  animals  were  led 
before  me  till  I  reached  the  courtyard  of 
the  king's  palatial  hut.  I  was  then  re- 
quested to  lead  the  horse  to  the  door  of 
the  hut  and  bow  to  His  Majesty  the  King 
of  Zion,  the  King  of  Kings  of  Ethiopia. 
This  feat  I  succeeded  in  accomplishing  to 
the  intense  admiration  of  a  select  company 


THE  ORDER  OF  SOLOMON.  223 

of    Spectators.       Transferring    the   horse    to 
the  care    of  my   groom,  and   the   other    in- 
cumbrances,  such    as   spears    and    shield,   to 
my  servant,    I   entered  the   king's    presence 
and  shook   hands.      By   this  time   I    was   in 
a    profuse    perspiration,    which    will    not   be 
considered    remarkable    when    I    recall    the 
fact    that    I    had    on    nearly    two    complete 
suits  of  clothing  and  a  lion-skin  surtout,   a 
warm  garment  in  itself.      I   have  omitted  to 
mention    that    a    sword    had    been    rigidly 
strapped    to    my   waist    on    the    right    side, 
which    made  the  feat   of  sitting   down    one 
of  some    difficulty  ;    but   everything  seemed 
destined  to  go  off  swimmingly  with  me,  and 
I   triumphed  even  over  this.     A   few    com- 
pliments, many  expressions  of  goodwill  and 
friendship    between    the     Monarch    of    Zion 
and  myself,  and  we  parted.     The  entranced 
spectators,  my  interpreter  told  me,  all  agreed 
that    I    was    made    to    wear    such    raiment. 
They  always  say  that — sometimes  it  is  pro- 
ductive   of   Maria    Theresa    dollars  ;    but    it 
was  with  heartfelt  gratitude  that  I   reflected 
that  I  should  not  be  made  to  wear  it  much 


224  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSINIA. 

longer.  It  is  not  easy  to  mount  a  horse 
in  this  fearful  and  wonderful  attire.  To 
begin  with,  on  account  of  your  sword  being 
strapped  to  the  right  side,  you  must  mount 
on  the  off-side  ;  but  that  is  a  trifling  diffi- 
culty compared  to  that  experienced  in  get- 
ting the  toe  of  a  broad-soled  boot  into  a 
stirrup  designed  only  to  receive  the  big  toe 
of  a  bare  foot.  Then  the  roomy  capacity 
of  the  pantaloons,  and  the  quantity  of 
drapery  in  the  shirt,  which  reached  below 
the  knees,  all  tended  to  prevent  one  getting 
one's  leg  gracefully  over  a  saddle  with  a 
high  cantle.  However,  I  surmounted  this 
difficulty,  and  eventually  reached  my  camp, 
and  speedily  divested  myself  of  my  finer)-, 
which  left  its  ruddy  dye  on  my  European 
costume.  A  hurried  distribution  of  back- 
sheesh, and  at  noon  I  was  off,  homeward 
bound,  with  a  comparatively  light  heart  and 
a  splitting  headache.  Of  course  the  day 
was  spoilt  for  marching,  but  I  got  six  hours 
out  of  it,  and  reached  the  old  camping-place 
from  which  I  had  marched  on  my  last  day's 
outward-bound  journey. 


A   THIEVING  JACKAL.  225 

April  20. — Invigorated  by  the  knowledge 
that  I  was  on  my  way  home,  and  to  the  com- 
pany of  men  of  my  own  colour,  I  marched 
soon  after  daybreak,  and  an  hour  later  was 
crossing  the  lofty  Pass  of  Debar,  a  biting 
cold  wind  at  my  back.  Alajie  came  in  sight, 
like  an  old  and  welcome  friend.  Havinof 
traversed  the  intervening  valleys,  I  left  him 
behind  not  long  after  noon,  and  after  rather 
more  than  nine  hours'  march  I  camped  on 
the  plain  which  stretches  away  from  his  foot 
to  the  northward  for  miles.  Tired  by  so 
much  ascending  and  descending,  I  dined  at 
7,  and  was  asleep  by  8.30,  though,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  that  is  generally  the  case 
whether  the  day's  march  has  been  long  or 
short. 

April  21.  —  At  4  o'clock  this  morning 
I  was  awakened  by  a  great  deal  of  noise 
and  excitement.  This  was  occasioned  by 
an  enterprising  jackal,  who  had  stolen  his 
way  into  the  camp,  and  walked  off  with 
the  skin  of  a  recently-killed  sheep.  He 
was  soon  discovered,  and  much  excitement 
prevailed,  in  the  midst  of  which  one  man, 
29 


226  THROUGH  AB YSSINIA. 

hastily  snatching  up  a  spear  with  which  to 
chase  the  thief,  ran  the  blade  into  the 
neck  of  my  tent-boy,  fortunately  inflicting 
little  harm.  I  treated  this  case  with  lint, 
vaseline,  and  a  bandage.  The  piece  of  lint 
worked  round  to  the  back  of  the  neck,  but 
the  boy  contentedly  wore  it  there  for  two 
days,  and  I  then  pronounced  him  well  and 
took  it  off  As  the  remedy  did  not  remain 
within  six  inches  of  the  wound  for  more 
than  five  minutes,  I  think  that  faith  in  my 
skill  as  a  "  hakim  "  must  have  done  more 
to  ensure  a  cure  than  the  actual  medica- 
ments, excellent  of  their  kind  though  they 
doubtless  were. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  give  a  detailed 
description  of  the  road  from  the  Lake  to 
Senafe,  as  I  marched  by  the  road  traversed 
by  our  troops  in  1868,  and  there  is  an  accu- 
rate description  published  by  the  War  Office, 
the  existence  of  which  renders  any  descrip- 
tion by  me  superfluous.  I  may  say,  how- 
ever, that  from  Ashangi  to  Asmara  the  road 
is,  almost  without  exception,  easy,  and  should 
be  selected  as   far  as  possible  by  travellers 


CHELICUT  AND  MAKELLEH.  227 

proceeding  to  any  part  of  Abyssinia,  so  long 
as  it  can  be  made  to  serve  their  purpose. 

I  reached  Chelicut  in  the  evening,  and 
camped  near  the  church.  I  was  hospitably 
received  by  the  head  priest,  who  brought 
a  considerable  quantity  of  food  for  myself 
and  my  people,  and  told  me  that  he  had 
been  ordered  to  treat  me  as  the  king's 
friend. 

Apj'il  22. — The  king  had  directed  that  I 
should  go  to  Makelleh,  where  Naretti  has 
just  completed  his  new  palace.  Although 
this  caused  a  slight  deviation  from  the  direct 
road,  I  was  glad  of  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  palace,  of  which  I  had  heard  a  great  deal. 
On  leaving  Chelicut  we  wound  our  way  up  a 
partly  cultivated  valley,  which  led  us  to  the 
foot  of  a  hill,  which  we  climbed.  The  road 
was  easy,  and  after  three  hours'  march  we 
came  suddenly  in  view  of  the  low-lying 
plain  on  which  Makelleh  and  numerous  other 
villages  are  situated.  The  new  palace  caught 
my  eye  at  once,  as  it  stands  conspicuously 
out  among  the  rude  Abyssinian  huts  of  the 
villaee.      It  looks  like  an  old-fashioned  En^- 


228  THROUGH  AB YSSINIA. 

lish  church,  with  castellated  turrets  at  either 
corner,  those  at  the  extremities  of  the  north 
facade  being  considerably  higher  than  the 
other  two.  On  descending  to  the  plain  I 
was  met  by  a  representative  of  the  chief, 
Balgadda  Kassa,  who  had  been  directed  to 
extend  his  hospitality  to  me.  However,  I 
camped  in  the  courtyard  of  Naretti's  house. 
I  paid  a  visit  to  the  palace,  and  was  very 
much  impressed  by  all  I  saw,  when  I  con- 
sidered that  it  was  the  work  of  one  man. 
The  masonry,  it  is  true,  had  been  actually 
built  by  natives,  under  the  unceasing  super- 
intendence of  Naretti  ;  but  the  woodwork 
was  entirely  the  production  of  his  own  hands. 
From  first  to  last,  the  architect  and  builder 
had  executed  his  work  in  a  most  solid  and 
thorough  manner,  and  had  not  taken  advan- 
tage of  the  ignorance  of  the  Abyssinians. 
The  basement,  which  is  entered  by  a  heavy 
double  door  of  Abyssinian  wood,  forms  a 
banqueting  hall,  the  ceiling  of  which  is 
supported  by  solid,  well-founded  columns  of 
masonry.  Leading  out  of  this  hall,  which 
occupies  the  whole  of  the  nave  of  the  build- 


THE  NEW  PALACE.  231 

ing,  is  a  large  audience  or  council  chamber 
under  the  deep  fagade.  From  the  basement 
one  ascends  by  a  double  flight  of  broad, 
well-built  stairs,  such  as  one  finds  in  old 
English  houses. 

On  the  first  floor  are  a  number  of  apart- 
ments of  various  sizes,  all  well  lighted  and 
airy,  and  the  roof  forms  a  fine  promenade, 
from  which  an  extensive  panoramic  view  of 
the  surrounding  country  is  obtained,  while 
the  turret  at  each  corner,  and  the  castellated 
parapet  which  surrounds  the  promenade,  have 
all  been  designed  with  a  view  to  the  defence 
of  the  building.  The  king  has  yet  to  over- 
come a  dislike  to  going  upstairs,  but  this 
I  imagine  he  will  accomplish  in  a  very  short 
time.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  fine  build- 
ing will  induce  the  Abyssinians  to  improve 
their  architecture,  and  style  of  living  gene- 
rally. 

Naretti  told  me  that  the  labourers  who 
assisted  in  building  the  palace  manifested 
much  curiosity  as  to  the  use  of  cupboards 
and  other  domestic  oiifices,  and  I  fear  that 
the  king   will    content  himself  with  putting 


232  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

an  angareb  at  one  end  of  one  of  the  rooms, 
and  will  continue  to  live  as  he  does  at  pre- 
sent, in  barbaric  state.  His  object  in  building 
the  palace  is  more  to  perpetuate  his  name, 
than  with  any  idea  of  instituting  a  new  order 
of  things  in  his  realm. 

In  the  evening  I  paid  a  visit  to  Balgadda 
Kassa,  and  found  him  in  a  fine  large  hut, 
with  a  lofty  dome-shaped  roof  beautifully 
thatched,  and  ornamented  with  rope  covered 
in  red,  white,  and  blue  material.  He  was 
assembled  with  all  his  officers  to  receive 
me,  and  had  prepared  his  house  for  my 
reception.  It  was  cleaner  even  than  the 
king's,  and  some  undoubtedly  valuable  rugs 
and  carpets  were  spread  for  me  to  walk  on 
to  the  angareb  on  which  I  was  to  sit.  We 
talked  and  consumed  teds^e  for  a  longf  time. 
Kassa  made  frequent  inquiries  after  many 
acquaintances  whom  he  had  known  in  1868, 
and  sve  parted  the  best  of  friends,  soon  after 
dark. 

April  23. — Before  6  o'clock  this  morning 
I  was  on  the  march.  I  rode  up  to  take 
leave  of  Kassa,  who  sent  a  few  soldiers,  and 


A  HEAVEN-BUILT  CHURCH.  233 

Naretti    also    accompanied    me    for    a    short 
distance.     Four  hours  after  leaving  Makelleh 
I  came  upon  some  wells  at  the  spot  where 
my  road   joined  that  by  which  the  English 
travelled.     Three  hours   from  these  wells  is 
the    villaQ^e    of    Agrula.       Here    the    Alaca 
came    out    to    greet     me,     and    was     most 
anxious  that   I   should  remain  at  his  village 
and  give   him  an  opportunity   of  displaying 
the  hospitality  which  the   king  had  ordered 
him  to  accord  to  me.     As  the  day  was  yet 
young,  I  could  not  consent  to  this,  so  with 
many   expressions    of  gratitude    I    informed 
the  kind  old  man  that  I  must  go  on  ;   but  he 
insisted  on  sendinor  a  man  to  drive  on  some 
sheep  which  he  had  presented  to  me.    Three 
hours   from   Agula   I   found  the  entrance  to 
the    Dongola   defile,   and    here    I    halted  by 
some  water,  and  near  the  church  of  Mariam 
W'oggara,  which  is  carved  in  the  rock,  and 
reputed  to  have  been  made  by  God. 

Apj'il  24. — I  marched  this  morning  as 
usual,  and  after  four  hours  and  a  half  I 
halted  for  breakfast.  I  w^as  soon  interrupted 
by  the  arrival  of  Dejaj  Tedela,  the  chief  of 


234  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

the  extensive  district  in  which  I  passed  last 
night.  He  was  accompanied  by  soldiers, 
and  all  were  mounted  on  fine  horses.  The 
Dejaj  expressed  his  regret  that  we  had  not 
met  last  ni^ht.  He  had  heard  from  the 
king  of  my  approach,  but  had  not  expected 
me  to  arrive  so  quickly.  He  brought  two 
horns  of  tedge,  one  of  a  superior  kind.  As 
I  was  very  parched,  we  sat  under  the  shade 
of  a  waterproof  sheet,  hauled  out  to  four 
spears  stuck  in  the  ground,  and  enjoyed  the 
tedge  considerably.  Tedela  was  the  most 
pleasant  man  I  had  met,  and  he  was  well 
known  to  my  interpreter,  who  gave  him  a 
high  character,  which  his  looks  and  manner 
well  bore  out.  I  wished  to  feed  his  horses, 
as  all  my  own  mules  were  enjoying  their 
mid-day  corn,  but  this  he  would  not  hear 
of.  The  Dejaj  had  recently  been  thrown 
from  his  horse,  and  suffered  from  the  effects 
in  such  a  way  that  it  was  necessary  for  two 
or  three  of  his  attendants  to  clasp  him  very 
tightly  round  the  body  and  bend  his  back 
straieht  at  intervals  of  about  fifteen  minutes. 
This  operation  appeared  to  give  him  consider- 


DEJAJ  TEDELA.  235 

able  pain,  which  he  bore  with  great  forti- 
tude. 

When  it  became  necessary  for  me  to  con- 
tinue my  journey  we  parted,  and  though  I 
seldom  quitted  a  place  or  person  with  regret 
on  my  homeward  journey,  I  certainly  hoped 
that  I  might  some  day  have  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  Dejaj  Tedela  again. 

I  continued  my  march  for  five  hours 
throuQ^h  the  Ao^uddi  district,  but  failed  to 
fix  the  position  at  which  I  arrived  with  any 
accuracy. 

April  25. — Being  Easter  Day,  my  men 
petitioned  me  not  to  march  ;  but  I  calculated 
that  I  could  not  afford  to  lose  a  day  if  I 
wished  to  catch  a  steamer  which  I  knew 
would  be  due  to  leave  Massowah  early  in 
May.  I,  however,  contented  myself  with 
a  short  march  of  seven  hours,  and  camped 
at  Adegrat.  Hardly  was  m.y  tent  pitched 
when  down  came  a  heavy  storm.  The  wind 
threatened  to  uproot  and  bear  away  my  tent, 
while  the  rain  descended  in  such  torrents 
that  I  was  flooded  before  I  had  time  to  dig 
a  trench. 


236  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

This  position,  which  otherwise  would  have 
been  a  melancholy  one,  was  rendered  rather 
exciting  by  the  deafening  thunder  crashes 
which  succeeded  each  brilliant  liash  of 
lightning.  After  an  hour  and  a  half  the 
weather  cleared  up,  and  as  I  was  camped 
on  high,  sandy  ground,  I  was  soon  put  to 
rights.  The  Tigrians,  and  notably  the 
people  of  Adegrat,  have  a  reputation  for 
inhospitality.  Now,  on  this  occasion,  in- 
structions had  been  received  from  the  king^ 
to  provide  me  with  a  certain  quantity  of 
food  and  forage,  and  though  the  deputy- 
chief — the  headman  being  away — did  not 
actually  treat  me  inhospitably,  he  halved 
my  allowance,  and  withheld  the  cow  which 
I  had  been  promised  on  Easter  Day.  How- 
ever, as  I  had  more  than  enough  already, 
I   passed  all  this  over  in  silence. 

April  26. — This  morning  I  took  a  not 
over  fervid  leave  of  the  chief  of  the  village, 
and  marched  soon  after  6  o'clock.  At 
the  last  moment  the  chief's  heart  failed 
him,  and  he  judged,  from  my  not  giving 
him  money  when   I  left,  that   I   knew  I   had 


A  SKINFLINT  HOST.  237 

not  received  the  treatment  that  was  due. 
So  he  hurried  after  me  and  beseeched  me 
to  take  a  cow,  but  this  I  dechned  to  do, 
at  which  he  and  all  his  people  became 
considerably  alarmed  for  the  consequences, 
though,  as  I  had  no  intention  of  complain- 
ing against  them,  their  fears  were  ground- 
less, if  well-deserved.  This  chief's  presents 
to  me  had  consisted  of  new,  and  therefore 
unripe  tedge,  waxy  honey,  and  bad  beer, 
all  of  which  had  been  accompanied  by  pro- 
fuse assurances  that  they  were  of  the  best, 
and  not  bought  in  the  market,  but  brought 
from  his  own  house. 

My  march  to-day  was  along  a  very  wind- 
ing path,  round  Fogarda,  where  our  army 
had  a  camp,  and,  I  believe,  wells.  My 
eyes  were  ever  fixed  on  the  peaks  of 
Senafe,  which  I  looked  upon  as  landmarks 
denoting  my  near  approach  to  home.  After 
my  weary,  and  often  anxious,  absence  from 
the  company  of  my  fellow-men,  I  was  as 
glad  to  see  these  peaks  as  the  homeward- 
bound  sailor  is  to  descry  the  cliffs  of  his 
native  land. 


238  THROUGH  A B  YSSINIA . 

Heavy  threatening  rainclouds  had  hovered 
overhead  all  day,  so  at  half-past  four,  after 
rather  over  eight  hours'  march,  I  camped, 
I  knew  not  where,  in  a  hollow  near  some 
water,  but  I  judged  that  I  was  about 
eleven  miles  south-west  of  Senafe.  I  had 
just  pitched  my  camp  and  got  under  shelter 
when  down  came  the  rain  in  torrents,  and 
it  continued  to  come  down  until  early  next 
morning. 

April  27. — Four  hours  from  my  last 
night's  camp  I  reached  Senafe  Mountain, 
and  an  hour  and  a  quarter  later  I  halted  at 
the  villacre  of  the  same  name  for  breakfast. 
I  had  taken  a  shorter  cut  than  that  which 
the  English  road  takes.  The  two  roads 
united  at  Behat,  which  is  about  two  hours' 
march  before  Senafe  village.  The  road 
from  Senafe  to  Tohonda  is  frequently  in- 
fested by  robbers,  and  is  one  much  dreaded 
by  native  merchants.  But  I  considered 
that  my  caravan  was  strong  enough  to  dis- 
suade any  one  so  intended  from  an  attack, 
though,  had  such  an  attack  been  made,  I 
do    not    think    we    could    have    repelled    it 


A  NEW  ROAD.  239 

with  one  pistol  and  a  12-bore  gun.  How- 
ever, the  headman  of  Senafe  volunteered  to 
guide  us  through  the  thickly-wooded  laby- 
rinth which  had  to  be  traversed.  Leaving 
Senafe  at  2  o'clock,  we  almost  im- 
mediately passed  the  head  of  the  descent 
by  which  our  troops  returned  to  Annesley 
Bay,  and,  from  here  to  Gura,  as  the  road 
is  good,  and  one  which  travellers  will  do 
well  to  follow,  I  will  give  a  description  of 
it.  The  path  ascended,  rather  precipitously, 
the  side  of  an  amba,  round  the  head  of 
which  it  wound,  and  then  crossed  a  series 
of  hills  and  valleys.  On  either  hand  is  a 
perfect  wilderness  of  olive  trees  and  dead 
acacias,  overgrown  with  moss  and  dry 
creepers.  I  found  the  path  better  than  I 
had  been  led  to  expect,  as  Ras  Alula  has 
lately  cleared  it  of  obstructions,  and  in 
many  places  it  is  so  broad  and  level,  that  one 
might  with  ease  and  safety  drive  a  coach 
and  four  along  it.  About  three  hours  from 
Senafe  the  path  touches  the  head  of  a  pre- 
cipitous gorge,  which  opens  out  till  it  be- 
comes   a    broad,    wall-sided    valley,  through 


240  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSIXIA . 

which  a  low  and  fertile  plain  is  visible. 
Here,  also,  on  the  high  land,  cultivated 
ground  is  again  reached,  and  after  crossing 
an  intervening  valley,  we  arrived  at  To- 
honda,  four  hours  and  a  quarter  from 
Senafe.  I  camped  on  the  hillside,  and,  ac- 
cording to  routine,  down  came  the  rain ; 
but  I  was  pleasantly  occupied  in  my  tent 
writing  a  letter  to  the  Italian  General  at 
Massovvah  to  announce  my  approaching 
return,  and  the  fact  that  I  hoped  to  hear 
his  band  on  Sunday  evening  next.  Then 
I  turned  in,  but  the  relentless  rain  came 
down  steadily,  and  with  a  tedious  persis- 
tency which  drove  sleep  away  till  2  o'clock 
in  the  morning. 

April  28. — My  poor  men  were  all  so 
miserably  soaked  through  and  shivering 
when  I  turned  out  this  morning,  that  I  had 
to  accede  to  their  modest  request  to  give 
them  an  hour  to  light  fires  to  warm  them- 
selves, and  to  make  bread,  which  they  had 
been  unable  to  do  last  night. 

I  despatched  my  letter  by  a  Shoho,  and, 
having    engaged    another    to    guide   me    to 


NEAKIXG  HOME.  241 

Gura,    I    marched    In    good    spirits,    despite 
my  cold,  wet  clothes  and  boots. 

For  an  hour  after  leaving  Tohonda  the 
road  lies  over  a  succession  of  low  hills  and 
valleys,  until  a  table-land  is  reached,  which 
is  crossed.  On  the  northern  edge  of  this 
table-land,  an  hour  and  a  half's  journey 
from  Tohonda,  is  the  village  of  Zivan 
Zigib.  From  there  the  road  takes  a  north- 
west direction  over  a  stretch  of  cultivated 
land,  till  another  ascent  is  made  over  a 
number  of  hills  composed  of  sandstone  and 
quartz.  The  village  of  Abba  Salama  is 
reached  after  nearly  three  hours'  march 
from  Tohonda.  Descending  from  Abba 
Salama  one  crosses  a  tract  of  grass  and 
arable  land,  and  after  another  climb  a  pass 
is  arrived  at  from  which  a  good  view  of 
the  low-lying  districts  around  Gura  is  ob- 
tained. Then  follows  a  stretch  of  desert 
in  which  nothing  but  the  thorny  acacia  is 
seen.  The  path  winds  along  the  bed  of  a 
tributary  of  the  Mai  Serawe  until  that 
stream  itself  is  reached.  By  taking  this 
road  instead  of  that  through   Dixa,  a  heavy 


242  THRO  UGH  A  B  YSSIMA . 

climb  is  avoided,  and  the  distance  Is  con- 
siderably shortened  ;  but  it  should  only  be 
attempted  with  a  guide.  From  the  Mai 
Serawe  the  country  was  more  cultivated, 
and  we  wound  our  way  through  a  narrow 
valley,  on  reaching  the  head  of  which  we 
commenced  to  descend  in  the  direction  of 
a  range  of  hills  which  we  must  cross  to- 
morrow. During  the  afternoon  we  saw  a 
number  of  wolves,  which  had  recently 
caused  great  consternation  among  the  flocks 
of  sheep  and  goats  which  were  quietly 
grazing  in  the  vicinity.  Now,  however,  the 
wolves  were  in  full  flight  before  a  number 
of  agile  Abyssinians,  armed  with  spears  and 
shields. 

As  the  day  began  to  close  in,  I  camped 
near  a  river-bed  at  a  short  distance  from 
Adi-Berakit,  and  again  the  rain,  which  had 
been  coming  down  in  moderation  for  the 
last  four  hours,  poured  forth  its  deluge. 
For  some  minutes  a  heavy  shower  of  hail 
descended,  accompanied  as  usual  by  much 
thunder  and  lightning,  and  then  it  settled 
down  steadily  for  the  night. 


A   WASHED-OUT  MOON.  243 

April  29. — At  4  a.m.,  when  I  came  out 
of  my  tent,  a  bleary  .spot  marked  the  place 
where  the  moon  would  have  been  if  the 
rain  had  not  washed  her  away.  It  required 
some  energy  on  my  part  to  induce  my 
men  to  light  fires  and  dry  themselves,  but 
by  a  quarter  to  seven  I  was  on  the  march 
over  a  good  road  through  the  district  of 
Maretta  Saveny,  which  comprises  nine  or 
ten  villao-es. 

At  eight  we  reached  a  stream  of  good 
water  in  a  deep  but  narrow  valley,  on  the 
other  side  of  which  was  the  village  of 
Enda  Mariam  Maihai.  From  there  a  very 
gradual  descent  over  cultivated  land  led  us 
to  a  narrow  defile  between  some  rocks, 
from  which  the  villages  of  Inadotta  and 
Gura  can  be  seen  on  adjoining  hills.  At 
9.30  we  passed  through  Inadotta,  and  then 
along  a  good  sandy  road  which  skirts  the 
sides  of  the  hills  bounding  the  Plain  of 
Gura  on  the  east,  till,  gradually  descending, 
it  reaches  the  plain,  and  then  continues 
first  in  a  northerly  and  then  in  a  westerly 
direction,    close    to     the    hill     held     by    the 


244  THRO  UGH  AB  \  ^SSIXIA. 

Egyptians  in  their  conflicts  against  the 
Abyssinians.  Having  passed  the  Kyakhor 
road,  and  arrived  at  Addi  Dak  Amhari,  I 
halted  for  my  mid-day  rest,  and  shortly 
after  resuming  my  march  I  arrived  on  the 
road  which  I  had  left  on  my  outward 
journey  between  Addi  Hawisha  and  Gura. 
Near  the  water  beyond  Woghartie  we 
camped  for  the  night. 

April  30.  —  Instead  of  the  miserable 
weather  experienced  during  the  past  few 
nights,  we  had  a  fine,  dewy  night,  suc- 
ceeded by  a  briy^ht,  cold  morning.  We 
were  on  the  march  before  six.  The  road 
was  thickly  strewed  with  the  long  wings 
of  a  peculiar  kind  of  beetle;  these,  covered 
in  dew,  sparkled  in  the  bright  morning 
sunlight  as  brilliantly  as  diamonds.  Five 
hours  brought  us  to  Asmara,  where  I  found 
a  number  of  doubtful  Greek  characters, 
Ras  Alula  havin^r  <rone  to  the  kine.  I 
also  met  a  German  who  has  been  resident 
at  Adowa  for  some  time.  He  told  my  in- 
terpreter that  he  had  taken  a  number  of 
flour-mil's    into    the    country.       I    remarked 


A  GOLD  SEEKER.  245 

that  I  thought  that  would  hardly  pay,  as 
the  Abysslnians  would  continue  to  use  their 
stone  mills  ;  but  he  said  that  he  had  found 
something  which  would  make  it  worth  his 
while.  I  therefore  conjectured  that  he  was 
looking  for  gold,  and  that  his  so-called 
corn-mills  were  quartz  crushers.  I  after- 
wards learned  from  an  official,  who  had 
seen  the  machinery  in  the  custom-house  at 
Massowah,  that  I  was  right  in  my  con- 
jecture. 

The  Emir  of  Kassala's  headless  trunk  was 
still  spinning  in  the  wind,  suspended  from  its 
gibbet. 

My  early  arrival  at  Asmara  gave  my  people 
time  to  make  a  feast-day  of  it,  and  to  lay  in 
stores  for  the  journey  to  the  coast,  none  being 
procurable  on  the  way.  With  considerable 
misgiving  I  surveyed  my  animals,  but  even- 
tually decided  that  they  would  take  me  to 
Massowah.  I  heard  that  Ras  Alula  had  a 
letter  for  me,  so  I  presume  that  he  had  ex- 
pected to  find  me  with  the  king,  or  to  meet 
me  on  the  road. 

May  I. — At   6.15  we  marched    and    went 


246  THROUGH  A B YSSI^IA . 

over  the  well-known  descent,  till  at  1.5  we 
halted  near  a  rill  of  water  close  to  Ginda. 
At  2.25  the  march  was  resumed,  and  then  I 
sent  Kassa  on  to  my  old  balderabba,  Sheleka 
Aria,  to  convey  my  compliments,  and  the 
intelligence  that  I  was  passing  down  to 
Sabaguma.  I  also  instructed  Kassa  to  tell 
the  Sheleka  how  the  king  had  treated  me, 
and  that  I  was  carrying  a  letter  from  him  to 
the  Queen  of  England.  I  soon  reached  the 
plain,  above  which,  on  a  hilltop,  Sheleka 
Aria's  camp  was  pitched.  While  crossing 
the  plain,  a  few  men  endeavoured  to  stop  my 
caravan,  adjuring  me  to  stop  ;  but  I,  in  my 
turn,  adjured  them  to  let  me  pass  unmolested. 
At  the  same  time  I  urged  on  my  mule- 
drivers,  and  kept  the  caravan  going  against 
considerable  opposition.  Eventually  my 
assailants,  who,  for  all  I  knew  to  the  contrary, 
might  have  been  robbers,  gave  the  matter  up 
as  a  bad  job  and  retired.  We  had  not  gone 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  farther,  before  a 
large  body  of  soldiers  arrived,  and,  running 
along  both  sides  of  my  caravan  till  they  reached 
the  leaders,  stopped  them.    Nearly  all  my  men 


A  NARROW  ESCAPE.  247 

were  then  beaten  unmercifully  with  sticks, 
their  swords  and  other  property  were  taken 
from  them,  and  the  caravan  was  thrown  into 
indescribable  confusion.  Durinof  this  incUe 
many  of  my  assailants  were  kicked  by  my 
mules,  and  this  they  made  a  pretext  of  com- 
plaint against  me.  I  rode  up  to  try  and  quell 
the  disturbance,  but  one  man  flourished  a 
stick  over  my  head,  while  another  loaded  his 
rifle  and  pointed  it  at  me.  By  gesticulating 
defiantly  I  made  the  former  desist,  and  by 
pointing  to  the  pistol  on  my  saddle  I  deterred 
the  other  from  firing.  Then  my  mule  was 
seized  by  the  bridle  on  either  side,  and  some 
men  tried  to  dismount  me.  At  this  moment, 
when  it  became  evident  that  I  should  soon  be 
overpowered,  Kassa  arrived  on  the  scene  and 
informed  me  that  Sheleka  Aria  said  I  could 
not  pass  and  must  return.  I  seized  this 
moment  to  yield  to  force  majeure,  and  turned 
to  retrace  my  steps. 

Then  it  struck  me  that  it  was  no  use  bcinof 
an  Abyssinian  Dejaj  if  I  did  not  turn  my 
exalted  rank  to  account  when  opportunity 
offered.     So,  despite    the    opposition   of  my 


248  THRO  UGH  AB\  SSINIA . 

captors,  I  succeeded  in  dismounting,  and 
having  unpacked  the  bundle  containing  my 
silk  shirts,  armlet,  and  lion's  mane,  I  dressed 
myself  in  this  attire,  to  the  intense  astonish- 
ment of  the  soldiers,  and  remounted  my  mule. 
A  i^\^  steps  farther  on,  I  came  in  sight  of 
Sheleka  Aria  and  many  of  his  soldiers,  and 
immediately  they  saw  me  in  this  costume 
his  mistake  struck  Sheleka  Aria,  and  he 
turned  his  mule  and  made  off  as  rapidly 
as  possible.  However,  I  shouted  for  him  to 
stop,  and  sent  men  to  tell  him  to  wait  for 
me.  Then,  very  deliberately,  I  rode  up  to 
him,  and  demanded  to  know  why  he  had 
dared  to  stop  me.  He  replied  that  he 
thought  I  had  not  the  king's  seal  permitting 
me  to  pass.  We  argued  the  matter  at  some 
leno-th.  and  with  considerable  warmth,  I  on 
my  part  gesticulating  and  flashing  my  silver- 
gilt  armlet  before  him  as  conspicuously  as 
possible.  Then  he  said  I  might  go  on,  but 
he  would  bind  Bru,  my  interpreter.  To  this 
I  would  not  assent,  and  said  that  as  he  would 
not  let  me  take  Bru  1  should  come  back  and 
camp  till  the   king  gave   me   permission    to 


SHELEKA  ARIAS  PRISOXER.  249 

go  on.  This  I  did,  and  then,  to  try  and 
propitiate  me,  Sheleka  Aria  sent  me  a  present 
of  a  cow. 

The  cow  I  firmly  refused  to  accept,  in  spite 
of  the  entreaties  of  many  of  Aria's  people,  as 
well  as  of  my  own  interpreter.  My  refusal 
was  taken  as  an  earnest  of  my  intention  not 
to  let  the  matter  blow  over  as  lightly  as  it 
was  hoped  I  should.  However,  the  cow 
went  back  to  its  donor. 

During  the  night  my  interpreters  carried 
messao^es  backwaids  and  forwards.  Sheleka 
then  commenced  again  to  ride  the  high  horse, 
and  said  I  was  to  come  to  him  at  2)'Z^  di.ra. 
At  that  hour  I  sent  up  interpreters  to  say  that 
if  permission  were  not  accorded  immediately 
for  my  departure,  the  consequences  would 
rest  with  my  captor. 

As  the  day  broke,  my  messengers  came 
back  and  informed  me  that  I  could  go,  and 
that  Sheleka  Aria  was  coming  down  to  see 
me.  The  Sheleka  soon  appeared  in  person, 
and,  having  dressed  one  of  my  people  in  my 
robes  of  honour,  an  equivalent  to  assuming 
them  myself,  and  caparisoned  my  horse  and 


250  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

mule,  I  received  my  visitor  in  state.  It  was 
a  final  attempt  on  his  part  to  get  the  hoped- 
for  backsheesh,  but  long  ere  this  I  had 
decided  that  backsheesh  for  Sheleka  Aria 
was  out  of  the  question. 

In  the  course  of  our  palaver  we  came  to 
high  words,  and  the  chief  then  demanded 
that  three  of  my  men  should  be  given  up  to 
him.  He  pointed  out  the  men,  and  said  that 
he  knew  I  had  not  taken  them  up  with  me, 
and  that  they  only  wished  to  get  to  Mas- 
sowah  to  enlist  as  Bashi-Bazouks  and  fight 
aofainst  him.  As  there  was  reason  in  this,  I 
consented  to  discharge  the  men,  and  I  paid 
them  their  wages  on  the  spot.  The  sight 
of  the  bag  of  glittering  dollars  made  the 
Sheleka's  eyes  sparkle  ;  but  by  this  time  my 
caravan  had  nearly  all  gone,  so  bidding  my 
tyrant  good-bye,  I  mounted  my  mule  and 
rode  off,  before  he  had  half  realized  that  our 
interview  was  at  an  end,  and  his  chances  of 
backsheesh  gone. 

Two  hours  and  a  quarter  brought  us  down 
to  the  Sabaguma  Plain,  and  another  hour  to 
the  Ailet  Plain,  but  some  distance  east  of  the 


ME T  BY  A N  ESCOR T.  251 

village.  The  heat  was  now  getting  intense, 
but  there  being  no  shade,  we  kept  on  steadily 
till  we  reached  Sahaati,  after  a  march  of 
seven  hours  and  a  half  from  Ginda.  By 
takinsf  the  direct  road  between  Sabngfuma 
and  Sahaati,  instead  of  that  through  Ailet, 
a  saving  of  nearly  six  miles  is  effected,  a 
matter  of  some  importance  when  one  is 
endeavouring  to  reach  the  coast  from  Ginda 
in  one  day.  At  Sahaati  we  found  the  Bashi- 
Bazouks,  but  to  my  surprise  they  had  heard 
nothing  of  my  approach,  so  I  supposed  that 
my  letter  from  Tohonda  had  miscarried. 
Having  rested  two  hours,  I  set  out  with  a 
small  escort  to  continue  my  journey  to 
Massowah,  leaving  my  caravan  to  follow 
during  the  night  or  next  day,  at  the  leisure 
of  my  poor  exhausted  beasts.  About  half- 
way between  Sahaati  and  Monkullu  I  met  a 
large  escort,  hurrying  to  meet  me,  under  the 
command  of  the  head  Bouluk-Basha,  from 
whom  I  learnt  that  my  letter  had  only 
reached  General  Gene  that  morning,  the 
Shoho  courier  having  been  taken  ill  on  his 
road  to  the  coast. 


252  THRO  UGH  AB  YSSINIA. 

Three  hours'  riding  and  walking  brought 
me  to  Monkullu,  and  here  all  the  officers  of 
the  garrison  came  out  to  meet  me.  They 
were  not  the  old  friends  whom  I  had  left 
there,  but  their  congratulations  and  welcome 
were  none  the  less  sincere.  Having  partaken 
of  their  hospitality,  and  mounted  a  fresh 
mule,  I  trotted  on  to  Massowah,  and  arrived 
there  in  an  hour,  having  been  nearly  twelve 
hours  in  the  saddle,  during  a  great  part  of 
which  time  the  thermometer  stood  at  toi°  in 
the  shade.  Between  Ailet  and  Sahaati  the 
heat  had  been  almost  overpowering,  the  hot 
air  thrown  off  by  the  scorching  rocks 
threatening  at  times  to  stifle  one. 


VII. 

CONCLUSION. 


VII. 

CONXLUSION. 

At  Massowah  I  found  my  Invaluable  friend 
Lieutenant  Bonnefoi,  of  the  Italian  Navy. 
After  a  bath  and  a  luxurious  change  of  rai- 
ment, I  went  to  the  palace,  where  dinner  was 
awaiting  me.  As  I  consumed  it,  I  enter- 
tained Bonnefoi  and  the  General  with  my 
views  on  the  state  of  affairs,  and  with  details 
of  my  journey.  I  had  not  been  comparing 
notes  with  General  Gene  very  long,  before 
we  discovered  that  the  bag  of  despatches, 
which  I  had  forwarded  from  Asmara  six 
weeks  ago,  had  not  arrived  ;  and  that  though 
the  General  had  despatched  letters  to  me 
every  week,  none  had  reached  me.  A  cor- 
respondence with  Sheleka  Aria  was  there- 
fore commenced,  as  that  worthy  had  ac- 
knowledged the  receipt  of  all  the  letters  sent 
to   me ;  and  the    bag    which    I    had  wished 


256  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

to  send  to  the  coast  had  been  dehvered  to 
one  of  his  officers.  However,  up  to  the  time 
of  my  departure  from  Massowah  I  had  not 
succeeded  in  obtaining  any  information  about 
the  missing  letters,  though  I  think  it  probable 
that  Ras  Alula  may  have  collected  them  as 
they  arrived  week  after  week,  and  was 
carrying  them  to  me  at  the  king's  camp  ; 
unfortunately,  he  went  by  a  different  road  to 
that  which  I  took  on  my  return,  and  so 
missed  me.  This  theory  will  not  account  for 
the  missing  bag,  the  loss  of  which  I  think  is 
due  to  the  rascality  of  Sheleka  Aria. 

It  was  indeed  a  treat  to  return  to  com- 
forts to  which  I  had  been  a  stranger  for 
many  days  ;  the  society  at  the  officers'  club, 
the  good  wines,  and  cigars,  were  all  most 
enjoyable.  Then  I  turned  into,  or  rather 
on  to,  a  comfortable  bed  near  an  open 
window,  for  the  heat  was  now  considerable, 
and  accustomed  as  I  had  been  to  the  keen 
air  of  the  mountains,  sleep  forsook  me  until 
the  early  hours  of  the  morning.  When  I 
awoke,  I  prepared  the  courtyard  and  some 
food  for  both  men  and  animals  of  my  caravan. 


GOOD-BYE  TO  MY  CARAVAN,  257 

They  soon  arrived,  and  it  was  a  pleasure  to  me 
to  be  able  to  welcome  them  into  comfortable 
quarters,  and  watch  them  enjoying  a  meal  in 
peace,  and  with  the  knowledge  that  their 
journey  was  at  an  end.  They  all  rested 
during  the  entire  day,  and  I  did  very  little 
myself.  But  next  day  we  set  to  work  in 
earnest  to  clean  up  the  gear.  Many  hours 
were  spent  in  scrubbing  the  saddles  and 
putting  everything  in  order  for  packing.  On 
the  following  day  everything  was  mustered 
and  stowed  in  cases  ready  for  shipment ;  my 
mules  were  sold  in  the  market,  and  fetched 
very  good  prices  considering  their  condition  ; 
my  men  were  paid  off,  and  I  was  free  to  accept 
an  invitation  to  dinner  on  board  the  man-of- 
war  Garibaldi.  Two  days  later  I  sailed  in  an 
Italian  steamer,  the  Venezia,  for  Aden.  We 
touched  on  the  voyage  at  Assab,  an  Italian 
settlement,  where  I  again  remarked  many 
results  of  agricultural  industry,  under  natural 
circumstances,  which  by  any  less  accomplished 
husbandmen  than  the  Italians,  would  have 
been  considered  almost  to  preclude  success. 
From  an  apparently  barren  desert  soil  there  had 


258  THROUGH  ABYSSINIA. 

sprung  vegetable  produce  of  many  kinds  ;  the 
soldiers  appeared  to  take  the  greatest  pride 
in  their  little  patches  of  land,  and  quantities 
of  food  were  shipped  by  every  opportunity 
to  their  comrades  at  Massowah,  where  the 
shortness  of  their  residence  has  not  enabled 
them  yet  to  provide  sufficient  for  their  wants. 
At  Aden  I  was  hospitably  received  by  Mr. 
Henley,  the  well-known  agent  of  the  P.  and 
O.  Company.  In  a  few  days  I  embarked  in 
the  Hydaspes,  and  after  a  hot  voyage  up  the 
Red  Sea,  arrived  at  Suez,  and  proceeded 
thence  to  Cairo  to  make  my  reports.  This 
occupied  a  few  days,  and  then  I  received 
orders  to  proceed  to  Rome,  and  lay  before 
the  Government  my  letters  on  the  duty  which 
I  had  just  completed.  The  few  days  spent 
in  Cairo  were  occupied  pleasantly,  in  spite 
of  the  generally  inevitable  crop  of  Egyptian 
boils,  from  which  I  now  began  to  suffer. 
From  Cairo  I  went  to  Alexandria,  where 
I  remained  two  days  before  embarking 
in  the  Tanjore  lor  Brindisi.  On  the  trip 
across  the  Mediterranean  I  made  up  some, 
at  least,    of  the   sleep   lost  during   the  pre- 


THE  CHOLERA  SCARE.  259 

ceding  weeks  of  toil  and  travel.  Arriving 
at  Brindisi  early  in  the  morning,  we  were 
soon  on  again  by  train.  One  of  my  fellow- 
passengers  had  a  very  severe  attack  of  the 
cholera  scare.  A  few,  less  severely  frightened, 
alighted  at  a  station  and  bought  fruit,  while 
the  scared  one  would  on  no  account  leave 
the  railway  carriage,  but  stood  on  the  step 
vainly  beseeching  and  imploring  his  travel- 
ling companions  to  desist  from  their  foolhardy 
purpose.  His  imploring  fell  on  heedless 
ears,  however;  so  seeinp-  them  about  to  return 
to  the  train  laden  with  baskets  of  cherries, 
he  retired  precipitately  into  the  carriage  and 
closed  the  door  against  them,  and  was  only 
finally  induced  to  admit  them  on  account  of 
the  superior  strength  of  the  combined  delin- 
quents. Whether  his  terror  had  any  founda- 
tion, or  was  justified  by  his  subsequently 
contracting  the  cholera  as  well  as  the  scare, 
I  never  knew,  for  at  Foggia  we  separated. 
One  passenger  accompanied  me  to  Rome, 
where  we  arrived  early  on  Sunday  morning, 
after  a  comfortable  night  in  a  coupe.  Not  so 
my  luggage,  however  ;  therefore,  after  having 


26o  THROUGH  AB YSSINIA. 

removed  the  travel-stains  from  my  dusty  self, 
I  was  forced  to  attire  in  a  borrowed  suit  of 
pyjamas,  and  keep  my  room,  till  my  baggage 
arrived  later  in  the  day.  Then  my  com- 
panion and  I  drove  about  the  town  and 
gardens,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to  see 
their  Majesties  the  King  and  Queen,  and  the 
Prince.  The  sights  of  Rome  have  no  place 
in  the  story  of  a  visit  to  the  King  of  Zion, 
so  I  must  content  myself  with  mentioning 
that  my  companion  and  I  "did"  them,  as 
thoroughly  as  was  possible  in  a  week,  with 
the  aid  of  a  good  guide,  and  the  best  car- 
riages we  could  get.  Interviews  with  am- 
bassadors, and  ministers,  dinners  and  recep- 
tions, filled  up  the  time,  and  I  shall  always 
entertain  the  liveliest  recollections  of  the 
hospitality  which  I  received  on  every  hand 
in  Rome.  General  Pozzolini,  and  my  old 
friends  of  his  recalled  mission,  seemed  to  vie 
with  one  another  in  their  kindness  to  me, 
though  I  fear  that  the  success  of  my  journey 
must  have  embittered  the  remnants  of  their 
disappointment  at  not  having  been  allowed 
to  accompany  me.     Of  the  political  reasons 


SPOONING  IN  THE  TUNNEL.  261 

which  may  have  led  to  their  recall  it  would 
be  out  of  place  here  to  speak  ;  but  I  shared, 
to  the  full,  their  regret  that  we  should  not 
have  been  coinpagnons  de  voyage  in  a  country 
which  presents  to  the  traveller  such  features 
of  novelty  and  interest  as  Abyssinia  does. 
From  Rome,  my  friend  and  I  went,  via  St. 
Gothard,  to  Basle.  On  the  journey  we 
shared  a  carriage  with  an  apparently  newly- 
married  couple.  The  sudden  and  unexpected 
emergings  from  the  numerous  tunnels  through 
which  we  passed,  must  have  been  almost  as 
embarrassing  to  the  couple,  as  they  were 
amusing  to  my  companion  and  myself.  Never 
having  been  a  newly-married  couple  myself, 
I  cannot  claim  to  speak  with  authority  on 
the  point  of  their  embarrassment ;  but  I  can 
do  so  with  regard  to  our  amusement.  Sup- 
pressed merriment  at  last  rocked  me  to  sleep ; 
but  I  shortly  awoke  with  a  violent  start,  and 
so  frightened  a  quiet  elderly  lady,  sitting 
next  to  me,  that  she  dropped  her  book, 
spectacles,  reticule,  and  the  miscellaneous 
load  of  travelling  requisites  which  bestrewed 
her  ample  lap,  and  was  about  to  make  her 


262  THROUGH  A B  YSSINIA. 

escape  into  an  adjacent  lake,  when  I  assured 
her  that  I  was  better,  and  that  there  was 
really  no  further  cause  for  alarm.  At  Basle 
my  friend  and  I  had  a  farewell  dinner 
together,  and  then  parted.  I  proceeded  by 
a  night  train  to  Calais  and  crossed  to  Dover. 
While  lunching  at  Calais,  I  made  the 
acquaintance  of  a  gentleman  whom  I  had 
noticed  on  the  previous  evening  at  Basle.  I 
have  ever  since  been  consumed  by  a  curiosity 
to  know  who  he  was.  Evidently  a  German 
of  position,  he  had  fought  in  the  Franco- 
Prussian  War  of  1 8  70-1,  had  a  personal 
acquaintance  with  Her  Majesty  and  Osborne, 
chatted  in  a  friendly  strain  of  other  royalties 
known  to  me  only  at  a  distance,  and  was  re- 
ceived with  distinction  and  red  baize  on  arrival 
at  Dover.  His  tender  solicitude  for  the  safety 
of  one  of  the  sailors,  who  had  taken  a  seat 
on  his  ail-too  fragile  hat-box,  was  expressed 
in  so  gracious  a  manner,  that  the  sailor 
vacated  his  seat  far  more  smilingly  than  he 
would  probably  have  done,  had  the  reason 
urged  for  his  doing  so,  been  a  regard  for  the 
contents    of    the    hat-box.      At    Dover    the 


BACK  IN  DOWNING  STREET.  263 

production  of  my  passport,  endorsed  in 
red  ink,  "  Charged  with  despatches  for  Her 
Majesty's  Government,"  freed  me  from  a 
rigorous  inspection  of  my  baggage — though, 
as  it  was  Sunday,  I  considered  it  unnecessary 
to  continue  my  journey  to  London  till  the 
next  day.  I  arrived  on  the  steps  of  the 
Foreign  Office  somewhat  early,  at  the 
same  moment  as  Her  Majesty's  attache 
from  Vienna,  so  a  messenger  took  our 
names  and  despatch-bags,  and  let  us  go.  A 
few  days  sufficed  to  close  up  my  affairs,  and 
then  I  ceased  to  be  Her  Majesty's  Special 
Envoy  to  the  King  of  Abyssinia  :  my  ride  to 
the  King  of  Zion  was  at  an 

END. 


APPENDICES. 


34 


APPENDIX   I. 

Route  from  Massowah  to  Lake  Ashangi,  by  way  of  Asmara,  Abbi 
Addy,  and  Antalo. 


Stations, 

Distance  in 
Hours. 

Direction 
(Approxi- 
mate). 

Height 
(Appro.\i- 

mate). 

Remarks. 

Massowah       

MonkuUu 

H.      M. 

I     IS 

W.  by  S. 

S. 
W.  by  S. 

s.s!e. 

S.  by  E. 

S.  by  W. 
S.E.  &  E. 

S.W.  &  S. 

Feet. 

100 

500 

1,000 
1,120 

3,000 
3,500 

4,450 
6,600 
7,600 

7,600 
7,500 
6,600 

5,300 

6,025 
6,250 
6,500 
6,400 

5,700 
6,17s 
7,200 
7,Sso 

S,ooo 
9,475 
7,650 

Road  level  and  sandy. 

Sahaati     

3     13 

Road  level  and  sandy.     Good  water. 

Ailet 

Sabagunia       

3     30 
2     10 

A  short  ascent  from  Sahaati,  then  fairly 
level. 

Ginda       

Arigzana 

2     S3 
2      0 

Ascent  rocky,  and  in  places  very  steep. 

Felagoby 

Mahenzie 

Asmara  (village)     ... 

2  0 

3  S 
I     30 

Between  Felagoby  and  Mahenzie   the 
Averobe  Pass  (6,500  feet)  is  crossed; 
and  between   Mahenzie  and  Asmara 
the  Mahenzie  Pass(S,ooo  feet). 

Two  steep  valleys  are  crossed. 

Averentante,  _    near 
Addy  Hawisha  ... 

2     40 

Woghartie       

Gura 

2    35 
4      0 

Camp  ground  with  water  J-hour  before 

village. 
In   dry  season,    water    J-mile    beyond 

village. 
There  is  a  better  and  shorter  road  than 

the  one  I  traversed. 

Mount  Tahuila 

8       0 

Balasa  River 

Barheuila,  on  side  of 
table-land     

7    20 
2      0 

Over  hot  plain.  Streams  Logo  and 
Tserana  are  crossed,  3  hours  20 
minutes  and  4J  hours  respectively 
from  Tahuila. 

Long  ascent  from  bed  of  Balasa  to 
table-land  of  IguUa. 

Lies  to  the  left  of  the  direct  road. 

Hosha  Guza    

2      0 

Dagasanuie     

7     45 

Market  town.  River  Angueya  is  crossed. 

Mai  Feras       

Tsedia      

4     30 
3     15 

Ascent  and  descent  of  1,000  feet. 
Spurs  of  Ambas  Haheile  and  Saneyli 

are  crossed. 
The   River  Weri   is  crossed    i|   hours 

before  GuUibudda. 
Takherakira  an  hour  before  Abbi  Addy. 

GuUibudda      

8     30 

Abbi  Addy      

7     30 

Dookwani        

9     IS 

Gueba  River  si  hours  from  Abbi  Addy. 

Antalo      

8     15 

Many  villages  passed.     An  elevation  of 
8,300  feet  crossed. 

Beit  Mariam   

7     45 

Road  mostly  over  well-watered  plain. 

Debar       

8     25 

Crossed  Alajie  (12,000  feet)  and  Debar 

Lake  Ashangi 

6         Q 

NoTS. — Each  day's  march  is  divided  off  by  horizontal  lines. 


APPENDIX   II. 

Table  of  Distances  from  Lake  Ashangi  to  Massowah,  by  way  of 
Chelicut,  Adegrat,  and  Asmara. 


Places. 

Distance  in 
hours. 

Remarks. 

Ashangi  Lake. 
Debar 

H.   M. 

6    o 

The   Debar  Pass  is  about   an   hour's   march 
farther  north. 

Atsemoren 

9  lo 

At  foot  of  ascent  to  Alajie. 

Chelicut      

8  lo 

Mekelle       

3  15 

W'oggara    

lO     o 

Near  entrance  to  Dongola  defile. 

Beyond  Aguddi 

9  45 

- 

Adegrat       

7    o 

West  of  Barakit 

8  40 

Senafe  (village) 
Tohonda     

5  15 
4  15 

Near  Addi  Beraki  t    ... 

9  10 

Inadotta      

Dak  Amhari       

Woghartie 

3    0 
2  10 
2  35 

The  water  is  quarter  of   an  hour   north  of 
Woghartie  Hill. 

Asmara        

5  15 

Mahenzie  Pass 

Mahenzie    

Averobe  Pass      

Felagoby     

Arigzana     

Ginda  

I    0 

0  35 

0  36 

1  25 
I  48 
I  30 

Camping  ground. 

Ditto. 

Ditto. 

During  the  hot  weather  Sabaguma  should  be 
reached,  if  possible,  to  avoid  march  across 
the  plains  to  Sahaati  in  the  heat  of  the  day. 

Sabaguma 

Sahaati        

MonkuUu    

Massowah 

2  15 
5    0 

3  30 
I  15 

Springs  of  good  water. 
Wells. 

Note.— Ea 

ch  day's  ma 

rch  is  divided  off  by  horizontal  lines. 

Routt 


AsOBO   Gall  AS 


lo.jj^d.    39£/r.r,  a-«^a 


APPENDIX  IV. 

Glossary  of  Abyssinian  Terms. 

Aboona         High  Priest. 

Addi      Village. 

Alaca     Priest. 

Amba     Wall-sided  hill. 

Angareb        Bed,  or  Couch. 

Balderabba   Introducer,  or  Go-between. 

Dejaj      A  high  rank. 

Gombo Earthen  vessel. 

Lij An  esquire. 

Mai        Water,  river,  &c. 

Mariam The  Virgin  Mary. 

Merghaf         A  superior  shamma. 

Ras        The  next  rank  to  the  King. 

Shamma         The  native  shawl  or  toga. 

Tedge    The  usual  beverage. 


UNWIN   BROTHERS, 
CHILWORTH   AND   LONDON. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 

"fWDtSSf — ' 


Z.   ^   578 


M 


Sri    way  ]± 

ftY    91977 


1911 


'^»^^ 


I 


Form  L9-Series  4939 


3  1158  01250  9393 


A     000  473  617     9 


